I grew up in the epitome of a small town. Everywhere I go, I see at least five people that I know and know WELL (their children, their jobs, their secrets). This summer, I am moving out of this small town. I'm nervous.
For 19 years, I have had the comfort of familiarity, routine, and tight-knit community. Whether it be at my church, my schools, my clubs, my sports teams, I have been surrounded by family and friends whom I trust and care for. I could do the drive from my home to downtown in my sleep. The local coffee shop will have my order ready as soon as they see me walk in the door.
Coming home from university for the first time, this comfort in familiarity was one of the most overwhelmingly refreshing feelings. To drive the changeless back roads of New Hampshire and bump into my high school English teachers in the grocery store was a sense of contentment that I felt that I had lost upon my first few months in the busy city of Washington, DC, where familiar faces are hard to come by on a daily basis.
Yet, as I came to find this year, a sense of familiarity and community can be found anywhere. Washington, DC became a home to me. I met friends whom I consider family, and got involved and found my niche.
And now this summer, my family is moving! An incredible opportunity to relocate to Nantucket, MA. It is a significant jump from my home in NH, yet I am excited to chase sunsets on the shores of the island and work tirelessly to save up money for the future.
I am your typical small town girl. I find peace in familiarity and routine. But, as I have come to learn, peace is a sensation that can be found anywhere. From the busy streets in Washington, DC to the back roads of NH and now to the shores of Nantucket, I assert confidently that a sense of home is based on mentality. This mentality requires open-mindedness to new ideas, a friendly disposition to others, and desire to explore unfamiliar places.
Whether it be moving towns, moving life stages (i.e. from high school to university), or simply moving jobs, I believe that ultimately, home is where you allow yourself to feel at home; it is not limited to where your roots are. Here I come, Nantucket.
