I Love That Dirty Water

How does one even begin to describe the love they have for their hometown? The utter joy that is felt during the simplest of activities, and the absolute pain that is felt when you have to leave……..again. This is the dilemma that I deal with on days like today. Sitting at Logan airport, waiting to return to the city that I now call home. It’s painful.

When my family and I moved to Dallas in 2008, I had very little doubt that we would be there forever. Milder winters, no state tax and incredible housing prices. A better life for the future of our family. Or was it? While I find Dallas to be a lovely city, and not a place I dislike, what I have come to realize is that improved finances are merely a small portion of what, I feel, makes a better life for the future of my family. What about all of our friends and family? We have them in Dallas, but not nearly as many. What about the activities? We can do a lot of things in the Dallas area that we can do in the Boston area, but what happens when we want to go to the beach, or skiing, or camping or the Cape and Islands? NOTHING! Unless you want to drive for 4 hours to camp, or 5 for the beach, and 12 to get to the mountains. Like I said, NOTHING!!!

Then there’s the vibe, the feel, the intense passion that New Englanders have for everything. Their friends, their family, their food, their sports. My god, the sports. The idea of my children growing up as anything other than die hard Boston sports fans makes me sick to my stomach. I am keeping them on track so far, but once they hit school, its going to get much harder. Hold on, I have to go throw up.

Ok, I’m back. I tell people in Texas, all the time, that the real reason they all have guns is because they know they could never beat a guy from the northeast in a fight. New Englanders are tough. Real tough! It takes a special kind of person to suffer through the winters up here, although many of us complain the whole time. Even still, March comes, spring training begins, and the pure joy of spring envelops the region. That NEVER happens in Texas. Spring means that intense heat is not far away. How much does that suck? You cant even appreciate spring. You also can’t appreciate the holiday season at all. As an adult snow can be a pain in the butt, but as a child it is heaven. Making a snowman, or having a snowball fight, and then coming in the house, stiff as a board, with snot pouring out of your nose, to find a bowl of soup or some hot chocolate waiting for you. What about snow days? What is better than that? As a kid, its the best. Period!

So lastly, I will end this all with a few rapid fire Texas negatives that I have not covered. Mega churches, right wing conservatives, terrible drivers(you have no idea), 3 months of 100+ degree temps(dry heat my ass), Cowboy fans, and lastly, W, Glen Beck, and Casey Anthony. What more does a person have to endure? Hopefully, not much more. I’m already counting the days until this long Texas “vacation” comes to an end, and I can finally come home.