My house is a home, but this city isnt.

 Let's just take a look at this timeline.

1984 - 1996 Hammond
1996 - 2007 Portage
2007 - 2014 Whiting (with a few month stay in Portage with my parents)
2014 - 2015 Michigan City (with my parents again while remodeling the Valpo house
2015 - Present Valpo

With that all being said, my house feels like home, but this city doesn't. I don't go to football (or any other sports for that matter) games, I don't wear all the gear around, we try to support local businesses and school, but in reality, Valpo does not feel like home. 

I'm not saying any of the above is wrong, because I would love feel that way. But we're not "rah rah, friday night lights" people. I don't get invited out with Brady's friends and their parents when they all hang out - I assume this is because I'm divorced and they think it would be weird to me, to hang with a bunch of married couples. 

I'm not sure what it is. I have been very lucky to have traveled to some beautiful places - USA and beyond, I haven't been everywhere, but I've been to a lot. I've been lucky to see so many different walks of life and neighborhoods where I've felt more comfortable there than I do in my own town. 

I guess I saw a lot of bad people doing a lot of bad things who "run" Valpo and it wasn't a pleasant experience, maybe that put such a bad taste in my mouth. I know so many other cities are run poorly too, that isn't the only reason I feel out of place. 

I live in a safe city, where my son has a great future, but I wonder where life is going to take us.

I wonder how many other people feel this?

I'm not hating on the people who feel this way about any city. One day I wish to feel that way about somehwere, maybe it'll happen for me here, or somewhere else, I'm not sure. 

I think it also has to do with the climate, the change in weather always gets to me, or maybe it just legitimately is that I don't feel like this my end all, be all.

I guess only time will tell.