I'm often asked -- because I so frequently play the role of salesman -- what's so great about Lincoln. And I answer with gusto because I love this place: Schools. Neighborhoods. Safety. Job opportunities. Stability. Entertainment. And on and on.
But every now and then I ask myself a similar question. Why am I here? Lincoln is great, but so are a lot of other places. Why do I, a guy who could do his job anywhere in the world with an internet connection, stay?
If I'm being honest with myself, the biggest reason I'm here is momentum. I've been here for 32 of my 35 years. Lincoln is my comfort zone and I like being comfortable. I enjoy knowing where everything is. I get a kick out of going to the grocery store and running into the parents of the kid I played soccer with in fourth grade and having a two minute catch-up conversation. I like living within a mile of the two houses I grew up in.
Family is a big reason, too. I've always been a mama's boy. We're a mile from my parents, two from my sister. It would be weird if I weren't close enough to have Sunday supper with them a couple times a month. Or if I stopped having lunch with my dad once or twice each week.
Still, sometimes I get an itch to see what else is out there. Not because there's anything wrong with Lincoln, and not because I see greener grass anywhere else. Simply because I have an urge to experiment. I do that to myself, y'know. I was a pescatarian for almost two years because I wanted to see if I could do it. I quit a perfectly good job to start down the path that eventually led me to self-employment. All in the name of answering the nagging question of "I wonder what would happen if...".
That question is nagging me again. This time it's asking: I wonder what would happen if we moved into the country. Not far away. Just to the outskirts of Lancaster County, say. Get ourselves a small house on a few acres. Maybe get a couple chickens for The Missus and I could start up the beekeeping hobby I've always wanted to try. The whole thing sounds like a fun challenge.
Maybe I'll try this experiment, maybe I won't. It's much too early to say for sure. But the question it raises -- why am I here? -- is an interesting one to play with whether I go through with it or not. It's good to be sure you are where you really want to be.
So I wonder: why are you here? Why are you in Lincoln doing what you do? What drew you here and what keeps you here?
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