Lately, I've been thinking about "place," as in where to spend the 2nd half of life for us. The concept, it seems, includes more than just geography.
Oh, sure, there's where you are in relation to the important parts of the country. I'm finding the important parts of the country are more often associated with where important people in your life are located--like siblings, parents, children, best friends, to name a few. So, where you are in relation to important parts of the country is also mostly about who, isn't it?
I had an uncle who had 13 children (Catholics, what can I say?), and calculated that Springfield, IL was the geographic center of his family's respective locations. So, after reading up on the city and liking what he learned, he moved there. It didn't last, and I don't think his family came to visit him there much anyway; so he and my aunt moved to Helena, MT where they lived in the early years of their marriage and were happy they did.
A place that people want to come and visit can be an asset, too. My uncle's plan didn't take that into consideration--while Springfield, IL was a fine place to live, his extended family just wasn't that likely to pick it as a vacation destination.
Then there are the other facets of geography, like proximity to lakes, the ocean, mountains, etc. If you particularly like to spend time close to one of those listed, you'll want to bear that in mind. I especially like the beach and warm climate, so I have gravitated to Coastal South Carolina.
But yet another aspect of "place" has occurred to me. Part of what makes a place special is what and who you surround yourself with. That's community. You can move to a place and never know the best things about it if you don't get involved in your community. Will there be ample opportunity to join groups and give back to your community in your retirement place? Think about it and consider the people you can and will rub shoulders with in your "place." As they used to say--"that's where it's at."
No comments:
Post a Comment