I’m a nester. When traveling, I unpack my bags right away and position my book on the night table by the bed so that it feels familiar, as if I’m at home. We didn’t move around much in my family. I spent most of my childhood in one house and it’s always been important for me to create roots, even being single. At the same time, I’m in awe of those who love to be on the road and are so good at it. Where do you fit on the spectrum?
Collecting Words by Brian Fouhy
I am definitely one for setting down roots. I just signed a lease for my 8th year in the same one-bedroom apartment!
Here’s to continuity.
I’m a nester and I love to put down roots. I love, LOVE, walking into my house on a bitterly cold day, entering the warmth of my home and feeling like it’s giving me a great big hug.
But I’m also excited to think about finding a new community again (yes, thinking ahead to retirement–best to consider my options now while I’ve got a number of years to go!) And I do love road trips!
If you allow yourself to dream, what new commuity would that be?
Walkable, bikeable, small city with plenty of cultural/intellectual amenities, reasonably affordable, food co-op, great farmers market, a mix of ages, good public transportation, politically leans liberal. Basically, a college town (with a sizeable university).
Any specific places in mind?
Some place like Iowa City or Ann Arbor.
I don’t know much about Iowa City. (I’m such a coastal girl.) What specifically attracts you to it?
I lived there for a year and it was the place that most felt like home to me (of the places I’ve lived). Lots of cultural amenities, very walkable/bikeable, and a GREAT co-op (which I joined within 6 hours of moving there!) The scale was great–not a small town, but not a big city either. Winters are cold, but at least there’s sunshine!
Have you planned a visit?
This summer, I spent five weeks in Spain walking the Camino de Santiago. After 2-3 weeks – I was ready to go back home (but I didn’t – I finished the pilgrimage). I couldn’t wait to get home to my community of friends. After several trips abroad over the years – I now have no desire to travel outside the United States. However, I love weekends away to national parks, and quaint towns with B&Bs.
It’s great that you hung in there and finished the pilgrimage. That’s quite an achievement.
My heart is a nester, but my feet are tumbleweeds. It’s not easy to reconcile. People wonder why I have so much stuff since I move around a lot, like I should just have a couple of suitcases and maybe a box of kitchenware, but the truth is I need to have familiar things in unfamiliar surroundings. So my faded cookbooks, my beat up furniture, my Christmas decorations all come with me.
I love, “my heart is a nester, but my feet are tumbleweeds.” Very evocative.