Where I Live

These thoughts have been wandering around my mind for a few days, but it was actually Bon Jovi who put it all into perspective for me.

I was listening to what I think is the newest Bon Jovi CD, and on this CD is the song with the catch phrase, "Who says you can't go home?" Basically, the song is an ode to New Jersey, but it got me thinking about my home.

I live in the Bay Area. This is my home. I know San Francisco, apparently well enough for someone to fall asleep in the backseat when I'm driving (during the daytime!), a fact that is strangely comforting to me. I drive once a week forty minutes from my house for Bible study. Most weekends find me somewhere in the Bay Area. I don't just live here, I have a life here!

Then, there's living in my hometown. As much as I sometimes want to leave, and understanding that there may come a time when I do, I have come home, and I'm okay with that. I'm okay with returning to the person I was as a child, the person who appreciated her community and what it had to offer. At the very least, it feels wonderful to be one of those people who offers something to the community.

I'm old enough to be able to leave my city to visit friends, go to a museum or Giants game, have a tasty Indian lunch in Berkeley, or any and all of the above, but, suddenly, I'm grown-up enough to appreciate coming home to where I live.