No one moves to Vermont for the cheap living. No one comes here for the low taxes or the great job opportunities. People move to Vermont because they are in love with something here… the mountains, the quietude, the fresh air, the people. They move here knowing that their life will probably be harder, but they feel the benefits are worth it.
When I left Rutland in 2003, I was searching for my place in the world. I came back to Vermont a few years ago with new life skills and a new perspective. But still, after some initial enthusiasm, I told myself that it wouldn’t work. I told myself the old story about how Vermont doesn’t work for me.
How many times do you drag out the old stories of your life so you can rehash and reinforce them? Are your stories valid or just comforting?
What would I have to give up to leave Vermont now? A wonderful man who supports and adores me. Two incredible children. What kind of a person would I be if I left my family for my career? It is so much harder to find love in your life than a way to make a living. And would I want one without the other? Not really.
But I also don’t want to miss out on the satisfaction that would come from the challenge of making a successful life in Rutland.
Rutland is not the same as when I left, and I can feel it changing every day. It has hope and momentum. There is a tipping point on the horizon, and I want to be part of it. I want to show others how you can live and work in Rutland and be happy and fulfilled. There are some already doing it, and I want to add my weight to the scale. Cool people are coming to Rutland. Good businesses are coming.
My new motto is: “I can be happy and successful anywhere!” And I can.
My goals: to help make Rutland a place worthy of my coolness; to continue building a network of amazing women with whom to engage; to be involved with making Rutland thrive and grow. I’ve already founded the Rutland chapter of Green Drinks (to begin in August) and am working on my pet project (clearly you knew I’d have one), Urban Mayhem Project, which will engage people in community service projects and organic networking.
On top of that, I have a feeling there is going to be a growing number of civil disobedience actions in Washington, DC, and Vermont is much less of a haul than Florida. I want to be part of history, not watching from the sidelines as others make things happen. Besides, I have a responsibility, as we all do, to leave this world better than I found it.
I am thankful for my unbelievable journey in Florida. I consider it the place I found myself. I could not have imagined a better way to spend my 30’s than intertwining my life with the amazing people of Sarasota. I learned so much from them and found so much joy from their friendship. I will cherish Sarasota for the rest of my life as a place that gave me such incredible opportunities to grow.
I will miss my friends in Sarasota dearly, but I will always love and support them, no matter where I am.
And so this fall, I will begin making Rutland my permanent home.
UPDATE: I feel I should updated this post. There are certain things that make me me. Unfortunately, my living situation in Vermont was not conducive to those things. So, alas, I did not stay in Rutland.