on having two homes

I visit my parents/family pretty frequently. They live approximately 230 miles away, a four hour drive from the town in which I live. We live in the same state. My son enjoys visiting them as well, and when I go up I usually stay for four days or more.

Sometimes hometowns can be weird. You have history there; parts of it can transport to you different times, years past. Sometimes the memories hurt a little bit, or are so bittersweet. But it is also familiar, and quiet, and extremely rural, along a river and just a few miles away from the bay of the ocean. I feel comfortable there, and often feel inspiration for my creative pursuits. Everything is close by.

Then after that I drive home to my small city and get back in my groove of "normal" life. Back to our daily routines and friends and my boyfriend and his family. The ocean is nearby here, too. We do lots of play dates. Walk lots of trails. I do whatever my money-making, weird hour job at the moment is. :)

Sometimes I feel like I have to choose between them, but the truth is, is that I really enjoy alternating back and forth. It feels like I have two homes. I can get a change of scenery. I know that it is not the norm to do this. Sometimes the drive seems never ending. But, we talk about moving out of our apartment. Moving into a small house, or bigger apartment. And it's confusing to figure out where. I either want to move back home, or into the nearby city. I'm not sure what we will choose. When I was younger I never thought I would actually like living in Maine. But it kind of grew on me.