Letters to the Editor
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Go where your you know want to go. It's clear.
What would family reunions be like if the whole family lived in the same state or in the same town? (Heaven forbid you all live on the same street.)
Depending on your family, some people need to go to the "other side" just to have the peace to make a life. If you're close to your family, you can call them, e-mail them, visit them. It is perfectly possible to be as emotionally close to someone thousands away as it is with someone who lives down the block.
If you need them and they love you, they will be there. Vice-versa.
I believe there exist places where our psyches or former lives or some other mysterious forces just take over and tell us "this is where I belong." I felt that tug at my soul when I visited Ireland. I feel more whole here on the west coast in a sleepy Oregon coastal town than I ever felt living in a big city. I can walk to the doctor! Everyone knows me at the local cafe and the bar. The overpowering force of the ocean never lets me forget where I am. I thrive. Things are slow (really SLOOOOW).
It's good for your blood pressure, it's good for staying in the now. The natural beauty knows you out.
Winters, things get a tad dark and drear, but you go inside yourself and explore. You set up the camera on your computer and chat with your family, you phone friends in other places, you learn to chop wood, carry water. When people talk about the weather on the Oregon coast it isn't just chit-chat. It's "how much of your roof blew off last night?" or "I can lend you some flashlights because we've got the generator," or "How's about a game of scrabble if you can get across the street without being blown south."
It's fun! It's primal! Sheesh. You can write books here. You can make art here. The only intruding sounds besides the wind and waves are an occasional Coast Guard helicopter out rescuing some poor souls.
Cozy? You betcha.