Dog Abby:
When I turned 18, I moved away from my hometown right out of high school. I was sick of the small town mentality everybody seemed to have, and I wanted to experience big city life. I moved away and never looked back. It’s been 15 years now.
My husband was just offered a huge promotion at his company. He gets to run a brand new divisional office. The hitch? The new office is in…you guessed it, the town I escaped from. I want him to continue to be successful, and the extra money would certainly be nice. But I also feel like I would be going backwards. I’m really torn here, Abby. What do you suggest?
Don’t Wanna Go Back
Dear Don’t Wanna:
My dad said that he did something similar to what you are about to do. When he was in high school, his family moved from a large city to a small farming town. He did not like it there. He was happy when they moved to a bigger town two years later. A few years ago, he went back to visit a friend in the small town. The town was no longer small. It had more office buildings, shopping centers, and restaurants. The school had been remodeled, and new factories had been built. In other words, the town had grown and changed. I went through something similar myself, before we even met Dad.
My favorite walking trail in the whole world was in big wooded area outside of a small town called Black Diamond in Washington state. Mom and Grandma and I would take long walks for miles and miles, and we would get to go on grand adventures with my other doggy friends. One day, we drove out to one of the best trailheads only to find it all blocked off by big machinery and mounds of dirt. On the other side of the dirt, the whole forest had been cleared and they were building houses! Things sure changed fast. I was sad that we lost one of our favorite trails, but when they finished building the houses, they put in a big park right in the middle that had a pond for me to swim in! Later, when we moved to a bigger city, I was afraid that I would not get to swim in my pond again, but it turns out that Las Vegas has lots of parks, and one of them has an even bigger pond! I made lots of new friends in my new town, and I still have all the same friends in my old town, including my duck pond.
The point is, you got to experience big city life, and maybe you love it. Maybe your small town has grown, but even if it has not, I bet it has changed a lot. You probably still have friends there, and you will still have your new friends in your big city. Before you and your husband make the decision — TOGETHER — you should visit for a few days and see how much things have changed.
I have learned that, no matter where you go, you can always find something wonderful…well, if you are looking for wonderful things.
With wonder,
-Abby