Thanks to everyone for the good wishes and encouragement.
Jeff Stallard wrote:"A person needs new experiences. They jar something deep inside, allowing him to grow. Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens."
It's true. For the first 40 years of my life, I moved around a lot, first growing up in oil camps and small towns, then college away from home, then the Army. Here are the places I've lived (two years lost due to rounding off to the nearest half year):
Raccoon Bend, TX --1 year
New Iberia, LA -- 4 years
Everglades City, FL -- 1 year
Eucutta, MS -- 2 years
Kelsey-Bass, TX -- 1 year
Houston, TX -- 1 year
Monroe City, TX -- 4 years
Vernon, TX -- 1 year
Houston, TX / Georgetown, TX -- 3 years (college)
Ft. Leonard Wood, MO / Monterey, CA -- 1.5 years (Army)
Petaluma, CA -- 0.5 year
Shulinkou, Taiwan -- 1.5 years
Ft. Hood, TX -- 1 year
Monterey, CA -- 1 year
Narimasu, Japan -- 5 years
Monterey, CA -- 1 year
Ft. Bragg, NC -- 3 years
Zama, Japan - 2.5 years
Monterey, CA -- 1 year
Ft. Lewis, WA -- 2 years
Marina, CA -- 18.5 years (retired from the Army)
Salinas, CA -- 3.5 years
That's 21 different places by the age of 40. Before I retired, the longest I'd ever lived in one place was the 5 years during my first tour in Japan. Since that time, I've been here in Monterey County.
I've always looked forward to moving, and found it stimulating. I think that this move will be, too. The hard part will be getting out to meet new people who play Bluegrass, and tempting them out to my place. Since I seldom get out of the house, the real loss is the contact with reliable old friends who have come out to play.
Fortunately, I do have several old college friends living in the Dallas area, and the Southwest Bluegrass Club has its headquarters in Grapevine, which isn't too far from Lantana, so I'm sure I'll get something going eventually. Also, I hope to get out and see some of the local sessioneers in action, though I don't expect to participate. With a second son living just 10 minutes away, the chances of getting the occasional evening off should increase. It's a bit of a wrench, but it won't really slow me down much. However, I'm glad my granddaughter has found a way to stay here and graduate with her class next June. She'll be stimulated enough by going off to college next year.
Sara
That's sort of how I felt about it last night. It helped drain all the little tensions that had been accumulating below the surface, too.
