If Yankee Candle created a scent named “Cardboard Box,” I would buy every last one of them. By the time I was 19, I'd moved nine times, so the aroma of moving boxes is an essential smell to my childhood. With that in mind, I hate the question “Where are you from?” because I literally don’t have an answer. Do I say where I live currently, where I lived the longest, or where my family lived when I was born? They are all different. I usually end up giving a sarcastic answer, like “America” because I don’t feel like explaining my novel-sized origin story. The fact is, I don’t have a hometown, and I don’t want one.
One of the coolest things about not having a hometown is being able to travel anywhere (within the U.S., in my case) and knowing someone in/around the area. I could be alone in the middle of Oklahoma, but if there was an emergency, I could call friends in Colorado, Texas, Arkansas, or Kentucky who could help me. Don’t worry, I've got both coasts covered, too. I’m not saying this to brag; I am trying to make a point. I would feel at home in any of those states because of the friends who welcome me there.
I’m always amused when I visit my friends and notice situations I’ve never had to deal with in my life. My friends always run into their old elementary school teachers during trips to the grocery store. When I'm with them, I just wait behind them, interested to see how they’re going to get out of the uncomfortable conversation. As someone who hates awkward small talk, I’m thrilled this isn’t something that concerns me while I’m shopping.
My friends are familiar with the areas around their hometown, which means car ride conversations are never interrupted by a navigation system telling us the location of our fancy restaurant. If I tried that, we’d end up at a Taco Bell 45 minutes away. Some situations are handled easier than others when you've lived in a place longer, but a little adventure never hurt anyone!
People are astonished by my ability to adjust, but I’m shocked that they have stayed in the same place for decades. People ask me if I still keep in touch with friends in other states, and I’ve got breaking news: We live in a century where you can speak directly to people’s faces through a phone screen. Yes, I keep in touch with the friends who do not recognize distance as a boundary.
Moving has given me great long-distance communication skills, along with an uncontrollable amount of wanderlust. I don’t expect to stay somewhere for more than four years -- and why should I? There are too many other place to explore. I don’t get nostalgia for places. I miss people -- and food (let’s face it, you can’t find a good bagel outside of New Jersey). During the holidays, I don’t return to a hometown, because I go back to something so much better. Home is not the place you come from; it’s about the people that make you want to go back.
