The Big 150: 7, World - Where would you most like to live? (And why aren’t you living there already?
Well, if you’ve been following along on this journey, you may have noticed quite a few mentions of Cork, Ireland. That’s probably where I’d most like to live (either there or Dublin again). I miss Ireland so much and would love to live there again, so I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll get to go back there one day.
Stranger things have happened. I first visited Dublin on a solo trip back in 2013 and declared, “I’m going to live here one day.” And although it didn’t happen immediately because I moved to Los Angeles, it only really took 5 years and BAM! in 2018, I moved to Dublin.
Why am I not living in Ireland already? Well, I did live there and I’m not currently living there because I chose to move back to the States after completing my Masters Degree at Trinity College in Dublin. It was actually a really difficult decision because I really wanted to stay, but I still think it was the right choice at the time, especially now with hindsight on my side, knowing that there was a global pandemic that shut everything down just a few months after I’d left. A friend from my Masters program also moved out to LA after Ireland, and he and I have talked about how lucky it was for us to choose to leave when we did. If we had stayed, we’d probably have been screwed since we were not Irish citizens.
I’m hoping my path will lead me back to Ireland one day, but I’m content with where I am currently. I mean, obviously, if I’m not living out my old lady days in my DIY fixer-upper Irish cottage in the Cork countryside with a pack of dogs at my feet, a hot cuppa tea, and a knitting/reading corner, something else absolutely magical must have happened (though, to be honest, I don’t know of very many places as magical as Ireland).
I think it’s important to note that, as I mentioned just moments ago, I am content where I currently live. I don’t know if Los Angeles will be a forever home, but I actually don’t think I need to know that 100%. Most things are only ‘for now,’ so Los Angeles, too, is my home for now. I think one day it’d be nice to be closer to my family, and although you may be like, “Oh, Johny.. then Ireland probably isn’t the answer!” - well, ya know, you could be wrong. It might, geographically, be farther away from my family (only by 1000 miles, which is basically just one Vanessa Carlton song), but culturally it’s much closer, and the round-trip flight to Dublin from Philly is often cheaper than (or at least equal to) LA to Philly.
This was a pretty straightforward question! Hooray! So what’s the lesson for today? I think I’d have to go with “most things are only for now.” (Yes, Maestro, please cue “For Now” from the Avenue Q soundtrack.) Whether something really bad is happening or something really good is happening, it’s only temporary. The trick is to make sure you can find some magic in the mundane.
To my old lady life in the Irish countryside and choosing to just enjoy the ride,
Johny
ICYMI: The Big 150