March 7, 2020. Some thoughts from the author as an adult, about moving back.

This is adapted from something I posted on Instagram a few days ago.

The University of Jeromeville water tower, and the row of olive trees on the rural side of campus, at night. Recent photograph (March 7, 2020).

I have been to Jeromeville twice in the last two days, and I have plans in Jeromeville again five days from now. I currently have three separate social connections there, only one of which is connected to the time when I lived there, and I happened to have plans with all of them this week.

That begs the question: why don’t I move back? If I have friends in Jeromeville, and I still go to UJ football and basketball games, what am I doing 30 miles away on the other side of the Drawbridge? Maybe Jeromeville is home.

It’s a complicated question which I’ve considered many times over the course of my adult life. Every time, I come to the conclusion that moving back to Jeromeville is a bad idea. Jeromeville is very expensive, and I don’t fit with the political climate there, but there is a much more important reason.

If I were to move back to Jeromeville, I would be too tempted to live in the past. I would be trying to recapture a time that ended long ago. The world is not the same as it was then. People in Jeromeville aren’t still watching X-Files and listening to Hootie & the Blowfish. I’m older now, and almost all of my friends from back then moved on long ago, replaced by people much younger since Jeromeville is still a college town. So I’m better off where I am now, keeping Jeromeville at metaphorical arms’ length but close enough to stay connected.

It has been about a month since I posted any new content here.  I’ve been busy with other things, and now my life has been completely uprooted for coronavirus-related reasons.  (My third trip to Jeromeville in the last week didn’t happen, partially for coronavirus-related reasons.  Also, I am not sick, as far as I know.)  I am going to revive this blog soon.  One thing I’ve learned from my last post is that many of you seem to think my stories are too long.  I can see that.  I tend to describe things in great detail, but I can definitely think of some posts that would have been just fine split into two (like the last one, I could have done one post about finals and another about the night out at Redrum).  And I will keep that in mind as I plan future posts.

I think I have the summer pretty much planned out.  My next story will be about my first day at the bookstore.  You can also look forward to stories about, among other things, a night out with a girl watching the most 90s of all sports, a day trip back to Jeromeville, a celebrity death that affected our entire family, and more.  In the meantime, feel free to ask questions or leave comments.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, as much as possible with life completely turned upside down right now.