For 12 years, I lived in the town of San Jacinto, California: a pretty small town of only 22,779 people (in the 2000 census, it grew to a more sizable yet still pretty small 44,199 in 2010). This says three things:
- That I consider 44,199 uncomfortably small means that I like large metro areas
- I am convinced that the last digit in both population figures: the 9 must be the exact same 9 people both decades. Yes. It is. Shut up, I’m right.
- I moved.
And move I did, from San Jacinto, California I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina before moving to Raleigh for college with a short stint in nearby Greensboro for a summer internship.
What this very local moving around taught me is the power of appreciating the adjacent. We’ve got this obsession with seeing things beyond our city or state or country or continent. That’s great, I’m looking at studying abroad at some point either in Reims (pronounced RAH-ns) or Lille. Truth is, studying abroad can. be. very. beneficial.
But it should never come at the expense of the now.
See, here’s the thing. The place where you live–whether is has 920 inhabitants (here’s looking at you: Chippewa Lake,Ohio) or 11,070,654 (hello Guangzhou, China) has got a plethora of things to do or look at. I’m talking about
And a whole lot more in terms of small things for you to enjoy looking at.
So. With that in mind, take a look around where you live and look for a little secret. They’re hidden all around if you know where to look. And who knows? You might just learn something.
Why Mondays Are Cool 