Anywhere

If you had the option to live anywhere in this country, where would you live? 

Would you stay where you are? Would you move some place you've never been? Would you move back to some place you once were? 

Would you live in the city or suburbs? Would you choose to live in the country?

Would you choose to live near family? Would you choose some place far away from them? 

Would you choose to move to a place in which you could live a life that looks so different from your current one?

 Would you live some place cheaper or more expensive? 

Would you live close to amenities or would you live somewhere away from as many of life's material choices as possible? 

Would you choose to move somewhere where the scenery took your breath away? 

Would you move somewhere more culturally diverse? Would you move somewhere with more people just like yourself? 

What would you choose? And WHY would you choose it? 

Our own family is facing these questions as we speak. We are fairly certain (but not 100% yet, we will have the final word by April of 2021) that Bob's job will allow us the option to live in just about any state we choose. While this idea is so exciting, it is also extremely daunting. Every state we have lived in thus far (since deciding to leave Ohio) has been selected either for us or by us because there was a job opening. We also felt that each of these places we lived was less of a choice and more of where we were led to be at that time in our lives for one reason or another.

Now we have 47 options before us. (Alaska, Hawaii, and California are out for us.) How do you figure out where to go, especially when you are a collective unit of 6 people? (The boys, at this point anyway, are planning on coming with us.) What do you prioritize? How can you make 6 people happy, and if you cannot make everyone happy whose happiness gets priority? These are all questions Bob and I are working through right now. (We are also working through where we would move to in Indiana should he be required to go back into the office come April because staying in our current town is not an option for various reasons.) 

For me, this whole process has been really cool and really scary. Do we make safe choices or do we take risks? Do we move somewhere that is beautiful, but would require me to go back to work at least part time to afford to live there? Do we move some place we have already been or do we move someplace new? The choices are endless. 

Anywhere...if you could choose anywhere, where would you be?