Leaving Chicago has been something I've wanted for a while. Now that it's finally time to leave, I'm feeling incredibly sad. Chicago is my home and comfort zone. I'll miss my daily routine in Wicker Park, the familiarness of Chinatown, the streets and highways I've been driving down since I was a kid. But most of all, I'll miss my friends and family. My grandpa turns 97 this year, and my parents aren't getting any younger.
I feel grateful to call Chicago home. It's the city that taught me to be kind and practical, to be humble yet proud. It's where I learned a strong work ethic and where I learned to enjoy the simple things in life. You can take the girl out of the Midwest, but you can never take the Midwest out of the girl.
All my life, I've been torn between wanting to see the world and wanting to stay home. My heart swings hopelessly between a need for routine and the urge to run wild. I love traveling but deep down, I'm a homebody.
It's as if I have two modes in life:
- Adventure-seeking
- Couch-potato
Now feels like the right time to be adventure-seeking. Steve and I don't have kids yet, and we're in a place professionally where we can make a change. Though we know adventure is out there and a new chapter of our lives awaits us, it's still hard to leave and we'll miss Chicago dearly.
