I heart Jaksinvil

I had thought everyone was unconflicted about our move, but the day before we left, as I was throwing stuff in boxes, Eleanor cleared a spot off the dining room table, pulled out the last few crayons and a piece of paper, and made herself a door-hanger. It says, “I love Jaksinvil” (when she runs out of room she finishes words on the line above).



She talked to me as she worked, "Sometimes people do not really want to move to a new place at all because they love their old place so much, but they just go and then they try to find things to be happy about in the new place."

Twenty-three years ago (!) David and I decided to move from Berkeley, California to Boston, Massachusetts not because we had to but for the sheer adventure of it. A few weeks afterward, we were struck with panic. What were we doing? So we made a list and posted it on our bulletin board: "Reasons to be glad we're in Boston." Whenever we found ourselves hating something about our new home, we looked at the list and remembered why we were there. And it worked!

So I think Eleanor's exactly right.