Relocating? - Are you moving to another state?
Introduction:
Greetings. I hope this finds everyone safe, healthy, and happy. I am pleased to announce that I will be posting another guest blog post by Cody Mcbride next Monday evening. His last post received many views and was very successful. His topic for next week will be "Ecopreneurship Tips," - Great ways to Green Your Business.
Tonight, believe it or not, I choose this topic for two reasons. First, I relocated one year ago and have first-hand experience in this grueling process. Secondly, I have received emails requesting I discuss this topic due to many people relocating during these difficult economic times.
We are all living through challenging times. With the combined issues of the border crisis, high taxes in some states, the political climate, the influx of drugs, and increased crime rates in many cities, many families and individuals are relocating. You might say they are making a mass exodus to other states. States that are less expensive to live in and/or follow the political beliefs they believe in. States such as Florida and the Carolinas.
Politics can and is a dirty business. However, when politics begins to affect children and threaten our moral values, families will stand up and take immediate notice and, in most cases, some form of action. As they should. I do not believe parents of young children should not have a say in what they learn in school and at what age they learn it. I previously wrote a blog post about this and provided undisputable scientific data supporting these thoughts and the ability of children at various ages to understand what they are being taught. I fear if it continues, we may have a new generation of emotionally disturbed children that are now teenagers or adults. Thank you, Governor Ron DeSantis, for taking a stand against this.
I have great respect for teachers. I was a part-time educator for 22 years for an IVY league school. Teachers are trained to recognize emotional problems in children. They are also trained on the proper methods to report these issues, and a system is in place to bring the families into the discussion. That being said, no teacher or education system has the right to express their thoughts on many of society's issues today and inject their personal preferences into their students. They are educators, not the parents of these children. Of course, you have the right to your opinion, as do I.
Relocating is not a new trend. However, it is now on the rise. It is not a phenomenon or phase. It is people who are fed up with living where they live for a variety of reasons. What exactly is the American Dream? Is it the dream where every family needs two and one-half incomes coming in to make ends meet? Is it paying such high prices for goods, services, and utilities that there is little or no time to spend as a family? We are not living in times that I would consider the AMERICAN DREAM. Let's look a bit deeper.
WHY?
Whenever someone says they are moving, the first question they are asked by most is why. First, let me state that there is no right or wrong answer to that question. Everyone has the right to relocate for whatever reason they decide. However, people will always try to tell you why moving is wrong. That is perfectly normal. It represents change. Not only in your life but in theirs as well. As a rule, people are NOT comfortable with change. Your family and friends do not want to lose having you around. However, for you, there are definitive reasons. Some you may or may not like to share with others. Let's look at a few of the more common reasons why people move.
Job relocation
They need a change
Political climates
Health reasons
Financial reasons
They are running from something
Retirement
Other family members relocated
You can decide which ones apply to you. For me, it was for a couple of those reasons. However, it was not an easy decision. I was born, raised, and lived in New England. Everything and everyone I knew was from Connecticut. However, two of my three children and my grandchildren have been living in Florida for a few years now. With the onset of the pandemic, it was some time since I had seen them, and my grandchildren were growing up. This was the time I was missing with them. I was also unhappy with Connecticut's cost of living and especially the political climate. I wanted a change. Also, boating is a year-round activity in Florida, and those who know me know that I love boating.
I had visited Florida a few times and liked it. First, you must understand that I am not a fan of high humidity, regardless of where it is. Therefore, I did not choose Florida for its awesome hot and humid summers. However, I prefer it for the other eight months a year when the weather is beautiful. Also, after years of winters and snow, I had enough of that. As a firefighter and paramedic, I worked in all weather conditions, through storms, hurricanes, snowstorms, tropical storms, you name it, and anything else God sent our way. I can tell you first hand it is not a picnic to have to fight a working fire in 98-degree weather or pour water on a building with a wind chill of -10 degrees or more. It is a job you have to love doing. Over time, the human body takes a beating. Trust me, I wake up with aches and pains every day.
Personally, with all my traveling, the best climate I found for me was in San Diego, California. I loved it there when I would visit a friend or had to travel to that area for business. However, the political climate, in my opinion, is terrible at best and California's way of doing business is NOT in line with my views, morals, and values. Actually, we are not even in the same universe, let alone on the same page. Boating there is ridiculously expensive, as is everything else. So you see, there needs to be significant thought put into relocating, where to relocate, and most importantly, why you are doing it. Moving for the wrong reasons can be devastating. Many people who have moved for the wrong reasons, mainly to somewhere less expensive to live, find themselves miserable. Often they find they cannot afford to move back. Luckily for me, I do not have that worry.
MOVING CAN BE LIKE LIVING IN A NEW WORLD OR ON A NEW PLANET:
It was a culture shock for me when I moved to Florida. According to the data, Florida is a state that, since the pandemic and before, has had an influx of an average of 1,000 people moving to it a day. Life is much different here than it is in Connecticut. The culture is different, and the way people think and act is different. However, deep down inside, people are people no matter where you live. There are good ones and bad ones. People here still have opinions. Boring is still boring, and lonely is still lonely. Those things do not change regardless of where you live. The culture shock for me was the people. People are generally much more polite, friendly, laid back, and respectful. These traits may vary if you live in a major metropolis. However, the fast pace of city life never changes, and it takes the right kind of person to live there. Regardless of what state you move to.
Floridians, even businesses, have a stronger belief in a work-life balance. As a result, many establishments are closed on Saturday and Sunday. Of course, the major department stores never close. As I met new people who knew I had relocated, they would say, "WELCOME TO FREEDOM." I used to think to mys