Why Here?

I remember back in school, when we were first learning about the discovery of America and “The Oregon Trail” and the Gold Rush, the thought dawned on me- why are you there? It was a much different time back then, harder people faced with harder decisions. But they still had reasons. The point I’m trying to make is, if you were traveling from the East coast of the US to the West Coast, why would you stop in Kansas, why stop in Mississippi, why stop in Nevada? *nothing against the Midwest* Maybe it was because someone got sick and they couldn’t continue, maybe they found a nice patch a grass in the right time of year and didn’t realize they were in the middle of tornado alley, maybe they were just over it and didn’t want to push anymore. In the attempt to discover this country, people settled everywhere. That always surprised me. Why would you choose to settle somewhere with feet of snow? Maybe it’s because I’m a warm-body, but I feel like if you had the option to move, why not? This may sound like a ramble, but I’m getting to my main point. Since I’ve been driving for Uber, I’ve met a lot of different people from all over the world, and the question I ask almost all of them is, “why Jacksonville?” Some say business, others school, or a job opportunity. And a friend of mine gave me some really interesting perspective. The only reason I’m in Jacksonville is because my parents moved here for a job opportunity before I was born. I never had a choice, and now as an adult I can choose to live where ever I want, and it’s scary to think that this is the choice almost anyone can make. A lot of people never leave their hometown for numerous reasons, but I never considered that your hometown is kind of like your skin color, but different in the fact that you can change it. So, guess it would be more like your gender. I’ve been thinking about moving lately, and starting a new chapter of my life on my terms. Not that it hasn’t been so far, but I feel like I never considered a life outside my hometown as a real option, and that the only reason someone would leave would be to take a job or go to school. Recently I’ve tried chasing a dream of mine and I think it might take me places I’ve never been before. I’m seriously considering the possibility to move, where ever I want.