“Finally” – that’s really the word that best describes what’s going on right this minute. For 2+ years I thought about it and talked to friends about it, but struggled to come up with something that seemed worth writing about. And then something of significance happened
Earlier this year my employer asked me to move from Atlanta to Dallas. After twenty years in the same place I was looking hard at a serious move. Regardless of what propositions I might entertain, however, there was a little nine year old girl to consider – my daughter. Although most of the time she lives with her mom in a small Georgia town she spends the rest with me at our little home in the Atlanta area (and wherever else our adventures take us). In short, she needs her dad and there’s no way I would diminish my role as a parent to The Greatest Kid in the World for any career opportunity.
But, for reasons I’ll go into later I found that I REALLY wanted that career opportunity and the move that came with it. So… what to do? Like many difficult dilemmas, new possibilities emerged as the problem was examined fully. The answer became clear. I would have two home towns. I worked it out with my employer and started the move to Dallas last October. The fall and the holidays were a whirlwind of deadlines, activities and other obligations, however, and I don’t feel like I finished the process until just now. In the last days of the year I’m finally finding time to get started writing about the experience thus far and going forward.
Most of the time I will spend here in my new home town of Dallas. I will get to know the city, find new favorite places to hang out, make new friends, date, find a new church – all the stuff you do when you integrate a new home into your identity. A couple of weekends per month, however, I’ll return to Atlanta to spend time with my daughter. As an added bonus I can see old friends and colleagues from time-to-time too.
I’m keeping my house in Atlanta to make all of this work, which is not as big a deal as it might sound like. Some people keep a house at a far away beach or lake for their recreation. I’ve got one in the suburbs of another city for my parenting. Despite lingering attachments to Atlanta, Dallas is not just a place for me to work, it is a place for me to live. It is my primary residence and I’m committed to making it my home – this is not a temporary thing for me. I’ll keep this up as long as my employer wants or until my daughter gets into college – and beyond.
This is for the long haul. This is my experience. This is two home towns.
