Last weekend was a bitter sweet moment for me and the family – we relocated our home to southeastern Connecticut. It's a bit sad because I'm putting aside a desire I had for some time as a youngster growing up in a once peaceful city
in the middle of farm fields on the edge of the Amish country that I rarely left and hardly explored beyond. I wanted to be in the thick of things and what better place to start then NYC? It was great for many years, but the reality was that it was time to move on, at least for now. While I loved the city and where I lived, my family and I were not able to really take advantage of its benefits and were suffering through its down sides.
A lot has contributed to our situation. Becoming new parents and not being close very close to our families made life challenging. Then the fun really began. Working through the dot bomb as colleague after colleague lost their jobs and the emperor (our company CEO) threaten and snarled, but nothing else. Seeing the WTC in flames and finally collapse from our window. Finally losing my job in the 5th round of mass layoffs because we build web sites, not technology.
A dismal job market and numerous your-our-man interviews go cold. Having our neighbor and good friends left for California. My wife suddenly losing her job. Watching way too many do-it-yourself shows like Trading Spaces, Changing Rooms, Divine Design and Designers Challenge was giving us homeowner envy.
So last year, with jobless benefits drying up and reading about Jason and Meg's adventures after moving to Manhattan, it all became clear and rather depressing that big city life was not working out. Yes we lived by the city, but we never got out to bars, restaurants, museums or shows with friends or just as a couple. After some discussion and consideration, we decided to relocate where my wife grew up and life moves a bit slower and with a lot less expense and trouble.
The bitter part are the trade offs and things we left behind. My biggest regret being that we had to pick which family to be near and in the end we moved another 2+ hours away from my parents and family. We'll also miss seeing our City friends as often and the daily contact we had with others whom we may never see again.
The sweet part is the prospect of things getting better for us and to that I look forward. So to my city life, I bid you a fond farewell.
