What is Right, What is Hard, and What is Easy
Inevitably, now that moving back to Cleveland is staring me in the face, I'm starting to get cold feet.
Since July 2004, when our East Coast odyssey began, we've had no doubt that one day we'd return to the good old Buckeye State. We've felt an enormous sense of responsibility toward Ohio (and speaking for myself, Cleveland in particular). We didn't want to be part of the Brain Drain in any permanent way.
In considering whether to stay in New York or move back to Cleveland, I've often turned to the words of that moral paragon, Albus Dumbledore.
When Lord Voldemort returned at the end of Book 4, Dumbledore warned Hogwarts students that soon they would "have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy."
Living in New York has been almost laughably easy. Living in Cleveland was hard, challenging, often disheartening.
So lately, I've been more often considering this passage from The Amber Spyglass, in which Will Parry justifies his use of the powerful-but-dangerous Subtle Knife to the bear king, Iorek Byrnison:
It's not something I want to be convinced either way about - we're coming back, regardless. But I have to consider this: ironically, I feel like I've lost a lot of what toughness I'd gained from a lifetime in Cleveland by living in New York.
Doesn't that seem a little backwards?
Since July 2004, when our East Coast odyssey began, we've had no doubt that one day we'd return to the good old Buckeye State. We've felt an enormous sense of responsibility toward Ohio (and speaking for myself, Cleveland in particular). We didn't want to be part of the Brain Drain in any permanent way.
In considering whether to stay in New York or move back to Cleveland, I've often turned to the words of that moral paragon, Albus Dumbledore.
When Lord Voldemort returned at the end of Book 4, Dumbledore warned Hogwarts students that soon they would "have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy."
Living in New York has been almost laughably easy. Living in Cleveland was hard, challenging, often disheartening.
So lately, I've been more often considering this passage from The Amber Spyglass, in which Will Parry justifies his use of the powerful-but-dangerous Subtle Knife to the bear king, Iorek Byrnison:
"Maybe sometimes we don't do the right thing because the wrong thing looks more dangerous. We're more concerned with not looking scared than with judging right. It's very hard."Is Cleveland the right thing, or is it the wrong thing that looks more dangerous?
It's not something I want to be convinced either way about - we're coming back, regardless. But I have to consider this: ironically, I feel like I've lost a lot of what toughness I'd gained from a lifetime in Cleveland by living in New York.
Doesn't that seem a little backwards?
posted by Christine at 12:54 PM
6 Comments:
Hi Christine,
Your post seems a bit unclear to me. Are you saying you're moving back to Cleveland because you feel you somehow owe the city something? If New York is easy and you're doing well, why move back? Is there something about the struggle that makes it attractive? Maybe you left family and friends behind? Is reversing the brain drain your motivation?
As for me, I was born in Cleveland but left at the age of 12 when my family moved to Michigan. After 5 years in the Air Force and 2 years in Portland, Oregon my wife (also a Clevelander) wanted to be home since we had become parents and both of us have family here. I didn't really want to come back to Cleveland in '97 because family can get on your nerves when you see them too much, and I wanted to live in a warmer climate. She won the argument and we've been here ever since. We we arrived, I started temping at Office Max as buyer right away then worked other jobs in sales, software, and customer service while attending Capital at night. Got the marketing degree in '02 and now work as an independent sales contractor and freelance writer.
However, in an attempt to make a career move, I'm noticing Cleveland may not be the place to do so. Seems like cities with faster growing economies outside of the medical field may suit us better. Will I leave? Heck yeah if I can't support my family or can secure more of a financial future for them somewhere else. Survival and happiness wins hands down versus loyalty. I can wear a Browns jeryey anywhere.
In times like these, I often refer to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Are my physiological needs being met (hunger and thirst)? What about safety (worries about murder, rape, and other violence)? What about social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization?
What about yours and your husband's needs?
An area you may want to check out is the Detroit Shoreway area.
Easy to get to a bus from most anywhere and the area seems to be really growing with artists and the like.
Just a thought.
I stumbled upon your blog by accident.
Hi Christine
I had similar feelings when I moved from Cleveland to Jacksonville, Florida and back. When I first arrived, I had no plans of returning...but the longer I stayed, the more I really wanted to return HOME...
I'm back and it's been...well...different. I don't want to leave but I don't know how long I'll stay. I have my family here and I love the season change, but that's about it.
If NY is easy, and you are both doing well there, is it just homesickness? For some a good job and nice place to live will bypass that.
challenges often lead to the best rewards ... Cleveland has amazing things to see and do. Amazing cultural assets, from the "big guns" of the Orchestra and Art Museum to little places off the beaten path that most people have never heard of. It does take a little work to access all of this, thus the challenge. But somehow it's more rewarding to find that neat little art studio in the old factory, that great little ethnic restaurant in a nondescript storefront, the fun church festival featuring handmade crafts, the up-and-coming neighborhood starting up an artwalk, or places like the Waterloo neighborhood, where people have come in, decided there was potential there for a great place to live, rolled up their sleeves, and made investments in the place by opening the Beachland Ballroom, Cafe Marika, art galleries, and new shops.
Maybe it is easier in New York, where you stumble over stuff like this every day. But it's more rewarding to do it in Cleveland, because it's not right there, you do have to look for it ... and it becomes a treasure hunt. A fun one at that.
And a darned cheaper one, when you look at our cost of living compared to other cities.
It's easy to escape Cleveland. It's harder to break into it ... but it's so much more rewarding once you do so and find out how amazing this place can be.
And there's something about being a Clevelander ... it never goes away. I have friends all over the country, and as time has passed, more and more of them have returned here, because they realize it is a great place to live, that the region has everything they want, at a price they can afford. It's a great place to raise a family, and it's a great place to grow old. No matter how far they've roamed, they still consider themselves Clevelanders, and this place is always home.
So what's wrong with coming home? There will be challenges, but ultimately, the rewards will win out, and you'll not regret your decision. Except perhaps after a lake-effect snowstorm dumps 2 feet of snow on you in a matter of hours. Then you may wonder about your decision. But then there'll be a summer evening when you've watched the sun set over the lake at Edgewater Park, and look back and see the skyline lit up by that golden light, and all will be well with the world. Especially if you follow up that sunset with some great pizza at Mama Santa's ... or Geraci's ... or Angelo's ... or Danny Boys ...
Change always creates stress and anxiety, even if it is a change you initiated.
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