Near and far

My dad once told me he never thought I'd still be living in New York. He thought after college I would get married and move away to some other part of the United States. I don't know if it was a hint or something. Maybe he wanted me to move so he'd have an excuse to go somewhere on vacation. Actually, I thought it would be the other way around. He always said he wanted to move somewhere warm after my sister and I finished high school. Then my little sister had to finish school (She's 26 now Dad, I think she's done). But, now I have kids so that might be what's keeping him here. Sometimes I feel boring. I was born in New York (Albany, to be exact) and lived in this state my entire life. I grew up in Yonkers, went to school in New Paltz and now live here in Dutchess County. When I was a kid, I rarely met someone from another place. Being from somewhere outside of Yonkers meant, like, Hastings or something. Now, I meet people all the time who are from other places. Usually, in this area, it's because a job at IBM brought them here, but there are lots of people here for other reasons too. I'm always interested in hearing where people are from and what exactly brought them here. My mom grew up in England. When she came to America, she lived in Connecticut. How do you get from England to marrying a Yonkers kid? My in-laws are from Cuba. Why did they pick New York instead of Miami? Some people are happy to stay in one place their entire lives. Heck, my uncle is in his 60s and still lives in the same apartment he was born in! Some people don't mind moving from one town to the next. It's like an adventure. Sure, I like visiting other places, but I don't know if I could up and move somewhere else and just start my life over. You've got to be a special sort of brave for all that. I think if I were to live anywhere else, it would be Chicago - that is one great city. But, I'm glad I live here. And I'm glad my kids live here. Sometimes, I take it for granted that my immediate family is all within an hour's drive. I see all of my friends talking about how they just got home from their parents' house and have to remember that for many of them, that meant a plane trip or 8 hours in the car with two children! I'm blessed to have my parents nearby. My dad came over today to celebrate Thanksgiving and I love when he is here. I love watching him interact with my kids and wonder if he felt the same way when he saw me with his dad. It made me think about how busy everyone gets and blames that for not being in touch with people more often. I mean, with the technological advances we have, there is no excuse for not staying in touch. You can text, call, e-mail, instant chat, post your status, tweet, whatever. It's not like you have to sit down and write a letter! Heaven forbid! Or, worse yet, spend an hour "visiting" with someone on just a regular non-holiday day. My goodness, please don't raise your kids to think that taking the time to share your life with someone you love is a chore - something you need to pencil in or carve out time for in your busy day!