You Probably Shouldn't Move Here
There used to be a time where I had an unabashed love affair with the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Every chance I got to visit I took in my arms and embraced. I vowed that at some point in my life I would live here and revel in the magic these cities created for me. Then I moved here in 2007. And I realized that I don't like living here nearly as much as I liked the idea of living here. As a matter of fact, I've spent the last year or so thinking of ways that I could get out and still make enough money to live a comfortable life. I've spent the last 6 months (the winter months) confirming all of the things I don't like about living in TC.
Back in 2002, I spent a considerable amount of time driving to/from and flying to/from TC. Every time I would fly in, I would look out over the sprawling subdivisions (upon subdivisions, upon subdivisions, upon subdivisions) and I would smile....because I would somehow feel like I was "home" A place of magic. A place of wonder and love and everything good in life.
In 2009/2010, I've done a considerable amount more flying into and out of MSP. And every time I fly in at night I look out the window of the plane and shake my head in disgust. Lights and lights and lights and lights, all wound around in their subdivisions with their Targets and their Best Buys and their Caribou Coffees. As far as you can see out the window of the plane once you begin descent. Lights and lights and lights and lights. And I hated it. It was just one more thing to add to the ever growing list of things I DON'T like about the Twin Cities. One BIG thing that I don't like. As a matter of fact, it typically just serves to solidify why whatever place I've just visited for a week is better than the Twin Cities.
But not on Friday.
On Friday, I was returning from Boulder, Colorado. Colorado. The Rocky Mountains. The magical mountain city of Denver.....another city that's always been magical to me. Like some kind of mythical dream land where I've always envisioned myself living in a self-designed log cabin home in the front range with season tickets to every Broncos home game and a perpetual sense of peace and the majesty of this great land. And on Friday it SNOWED in Boulder. Snow in the mountains. It should have been a perfect day. But, on the plane from one of my favorite airports in the US to my reluctant home in TC, I looked out the window on the descent and I saw the lights of the Twin Cities stretching out before me. And I smiled. And I thought about how good it was to be home. Small things. Big implications.
Back in 2002, I spent a considerable amount of time driving to/from and flying to/from TC. Every time I would fly in, I would look out over the sprawling subdivisions (upon subdivisions, upon subdivisions, upon subdivisions) and I would smile....because I would somehow feel like I was "home" A place of magic. A place of wonder and love and everything good in life.
In 2009/2010, I've done a considerable amount more flying into and out of MSP. And every time I fly in at night I look out the window of the plane and shake my head in disgust. Lights and lights and lights and lights, all wound around in their subdivisions with their Targets and their Best Buys and their Caribou Coffees. As far as you can see out the window of the plane once you begin descent. Lights and lights and lights and lights. And I hated it. It was just one more thing to add to the ever growing list of things I DON'T like about the Twin Cities. One BIG thing that I don't like. As a matter of fact, it typically just serves to solidify why whatever place I've just visited for a week is better than the Twin Cities.
But not on Friday.
On Friday, I was returning from Boulder, Colorado. Colorado. The Rocky Mountains. The magical mountain city of Denver.....another city that's always been magical to me. Like some kind of mythical dream land where I've always envisioned myself living in a self-designed log cabin home in the front range with season tickets to every Broncos home game and a perpetual sense of peace and the majesty of this great land. And on Friday it SNOWED in Boulder. Snow in the mountains. It should have been a perfect day. But, on the plane from one of my favorite airports in the US to my reluctant home in TC, I looked out the window on the descent and I saw the lights of the Twin Cities stretching out before me. And I smiled. And I thought about how good it was to be home. Small things. Big implications.