A new year. A new life.

By Dori, A Round Barn at the University of Illinois.

For most people a new year is symbolic of a new start. I know I always feel just a little bit like I'm beginning a do-over, every year, without fail. This year I, along with the rest of the family, am starting over in a new state, a new region for that matter. The Midwest.

I have no ties here. Well, none very recent (supposedly my granddad went to school in Independence, MO with Harry and Bess Truman). And I can't help but laugh when I think of how I got here. I kept forging westward. But the universe keeps pulling me back. I went to Texas, then moved back to New Jersey, where I grew up. I moved back to Texas and stayed awhile until discovering, and quickly relocating to Colorado. I didn't get to stay as long as I wanted too before I ended up in Illinois. What in the world is the world trying to tell me?

It's my own fault, really. I have wanderlust. It's not an easy quality to live with. I adore the idea of staying put, living in the same house for decades, welcoming children and grandchildren home. But I just can't do it. I want to wander. And that's not great for kids, really. I'm honestly not that bohemian to be able to pull that off with panache.

And so I've made up my mind to set down roots here. Really. I have a plan. After all, I've got kids to put through college and retirement savings to catch up on. So I have to hang up my wandering shoes for a while. But, still I dream. I think about the days when the kids have graduated (God willing) college and Dana and I retire. This is not a bad place to live. With, perhaps, some traveling when winter gets a little long or summer a bit too humid. If our state can stay solvent, that might actually be a plan. For now.