Where Do I Belong

Yesterday, I had my inaugural listen to Alan Doyle's Boy on Bridge cd -- I know I've heard 'Where I Belong' sung live before, but just where I heard it escapes my memory.   In listening to it today, my mind wandered... 'Where (do) I Belong'; 'There's No Place Like Home' (Dorothy); 'Home is Wherever You Are' (SK6ers); 'You Can't Go Home Again' (Wolfe)   Which is it???   As a young adult, post college, I couldn't wait to get out of dodge...anywhere but where I grew up. Don't get me wrong, Connecticut is a beautiful state and I do miss it so, but it didn't offer the career path I was looking for and I wanted to explore. So over the last many years, I have lived in the DC area -- and for the last 14 years in Arlington, Virginia. I affectionately call it the 'near-south'.   It offers everything I think I want -- proximity to city life and the excitement of where laws and foreign policy exploits are hatched! It is an area steeped in history and rich in culture and I love showing it off to friends and family.   My love of live music is nourished as most singers and bands pass thru here often ( and those that don't suffer my twitter-scold for sure)   I live a short drive from bucolic horse country, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chessapeake Bay...and a little farther to the Atlantic Ocean!   I love that this is a walking area and one with so many diverse restaurants.  I thrive on the hustle and bustle and multitude of free events.   ...and I have made some wonderful friends.   But no matter how long I've lived here in Arlington, I often feel like a visitor. I vote and I pay taxes and I avail myself of the plethora of services that the Commonwealth of Virginia and the City and County of Arlington provide -- but is this truly home? And what does home really mean? Maybe my adult life is one giant transient experiment or one long one-way work-study vacation.   Or maybe it's because I chose not to buy a home -- I didn't want the upkeep or responsibility and face it, I couldn't afford a house in Arlington these days. Maybe it's because I don't have kids in the school system and other activities but again, that was another choice and there are thousands of single residents like me.  There's no getting around it -- I have not found that place where 'everybody knows your name' and I always feel like I am at the mercy of service providers -- credit unions, car repair companies, retail organizations etc. When I go to CT, many business owners and neighbors may not know me, but they recognize the family name...the benefits of small city living for sure. But, every day I wake happy to be living here...it's just not the same type of place I grew up.    So as I prepare to travel to Connecticut many times this summer I will revel in those feelings and happenings that I just can't replicate here in Arlington -- the bright stars on a clear night; walking barefoot thru the green grass on a not-so-humid summer day; the constant buzz of lawn-mowers; the proximity to the shore (it's not an ocean); friends who have known me since I was a child; and the comfort of having family nearby. But it's not the same place I grew up...and it shouldn't be.   And then when I return 'home' to Arlington I will be thankful for public transportation; 7 days-a-week entertainment; free museums; sidewalks and bike lanes; and friends (near and far) that have chosen to be so -- thru proximity or becaue of similar interests. And, Arlington is not Connecticut, with its New-England heritage...and it can't be.   I guess I have the best of both worlds and I must try to be comfortable in the situation that presents itself...I guess it's more 'home is wherever you are'.