Iowa

My earliest memory of wanting to escape from Iowa was when I was in 7th grade. My family took a trip to Florida and I saw this world so unlike my own.

I wanted to leave.

I tried several times. I wanted to go to college outside my state, but that was too expensive so that idea was nixed.  Then one summer in college I wanted to work in Colorado where my aunt lived. That too was nixed by my parents.

So I stayed.

When it was time to get a job, the market was filled with educators and jobs were scarce. Plus I had a boyfriend/fiance and he had a job in Iowa.

So I stayed.

And then you know how the rest of the story goes, you get a job, have stability, start a family, have responsibility, buy a house, have a mortgage, and one year turns into twenty and you've never left.

So now, all these years later I still wouldn't mind leaving Iowa, but I have a greater appreciation for what this small town, small MidWest state has given me.

I was able to raise my children in a safe, quiet, community. While a big city offers such variety and exposure to so much more culturally it also brings concerns that I did not have to face with my children. The public schools here were great, no need to think private. The schools were small enough that my children were able to know almost everyone in the school with the ability to participate in numerous activities.

And I don't think you can beat the cost of living. Sure I may not have had access to gourmet restaurants or all the health food choices that I wanted, but I was able to make do. I've been able to live in a very nice home for 1/3 to 1/5 the cost of other cities.

Then there is space. I've had a yard and parking a car has never really been a problem no matter where I went. And traffic, even though I may complain, it is nothing compared to metropolitan areas.

So as I drive around Iowa, whether heading outside my state or visiting some place within, and I see the rolling hills, and the acres upon acres of farmland, I've come to appreciate the place where I grew up and stayed. There is a comfort knowing maybe I did, without realizing it, choose the best place to raise my family. Maybe I learned what I was supposed to learn in life here. Perhaps I didn't need to leave.

I will never know how my life would have turned out had I been able to realize my childhood dream, but with age comes more wisdom knowing perhaps this was the life I was meant to live after all.

But I'm not done learning yet, so who knows what is yet to come.