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The Three States I Lived In

I was adopted into the state of Nebraska and when people ask where I am from, meaning where I grew up, I say Nebraska. What I liked about Nebraska was the four seasons but didn’t particularly like winter. I liked following the Cornhuskers in football and I really like the ability to garden and enjoy its bounty.

I moved to Arizona from Nebraska when I was 31 years old because I wanted to get out of the cold winters and my seasonal allergies were killing me and my dr. suggested I go to a drier climate and a sunnier state. I suffered from seasonal affective disorder and my depression was pretty bad in Nebraska. I loved Arizona for the sunshine and drier climate. It was like I healed and transformed into a new person. I was the healthiest in Arizona. Arizona has beauty in its own way.

Then I was called to Texas with my job. I moved there in the fall of 2018 and reside here until who knows when. Let me just say Texas is huge. I really like the bluebonnets and the spring flowers although it doesn’t do well with my allergies. I am dealing with more health issues in Texas than in Arizona and it reminds me a lot of Nebraska (which has been triggering for me). Texas is very unique in many ways.

Would I call any of these home? What is home? Merriam Websters Dictionary defines home as a permanent place one resides. While I resided in these states, I don’t know if I would call any of them home. The closest one that I would call home is Arizona. That was the state that I felt “at home” meaning comfortable, happy, and peaceful. To me, the word home means a place I feel at peace. I think home is a state of being rather than living permanently in a place. So I can make home wherever I reside. And I have.