The Holy City, Charleston

RainbowRow
Originally uploaded by erickpineda527.

I realize it's been a long time since I added an entry. Apologies. So much has been going on lately, that I can barely keep up with all that's required of me right now. But that's beside the point. Being busy is actually nothing but good news as far as I'm concerned. These past couple months there have been a lot of new developments which has required me to go back to my roots, Charleston.

I've always been pressured by friends and family to move back to the city where I grew up, but never like this. I have to admit it's nice to be missed. We left originally to pursue more fortuitous careers and find ourselves. After I left Savannah I vowed to never return. Lower paying salaries, boredom with what I had grown so accustomed to, and looking for new experiences forced me to try Florida out "temporarily". It's now been close to 10 years.

The partying, reckless person I once was is pretty much gone and replaced with a home I've built into something comfortable with my wife and our first child soon to come. In his place I've become what I like to think as someone more levelheaded, cautious and responsible. I'm not complaining.

I remember all the late nights with my friends spent hitting the clubs and then going to the Waffle House after hours til about 3 or 4 to grab a bite and laugh all night about that night's shenanigans. I remember it all clear as day. As I reminisced about it, I was struck with that odd feeling of "where have I been all these years?".

I missed seeing someone of my closest friends kids having children (some of whom I have never met), the neighborhood aging, the harbortown growing from it's small town vibe into a bustling tourist attraction and the old places being torn down and replaced. I missed it.

But now, these closest of friends have also moved back to the hometown to raise their families. Others have moved out of their single life apartments and condos and built homes not too far from where they grew up. Whenever we go home we try hard as hell to see them and catch up. It also comes back to the same question "when are you moving back?"

I'm always resistant to moving back because of the lower salaries for what I do. Charleston is not exactly the hub of design. El is done with Orlando as am I. I want something better for my family, but financial responsibilities have held me back from anything too hasty.

I can easily extol the virtues of my hometown. I mean who doesn't want to raise a family in a historic harbortown named America's Most Beautiful where the spring, summer, fall and winter are just so, fishing year round, people are genuinely friendly, where all your closest friends and family are, the beach is right around the corner, housing and cost of living is much cheaper, and you can walk down the street and see people you know. Why not?

And then you compare Orlando...
Named The Angriest City in America by Men's Health (oddly enough home of Disney, "The Happiest Place on Earth", half the population doesn't know English (and doesn't care to), swamped by tourists bringing horrible traffic conditions, road rage, Reggaeton music, overpriced housing and cost of living, mediocre salaries and a "me-first" attitude. Why do I stay here???

Carl said something to me that really made me feel good about myself this past weekend and made me think more about why I DON'T move back - "You're like the glue that brings everyone back together". Thanks man that meant a lot to me. All you Charlestonians - watch out. I may be back some time or at least closer in the near future if I can help it. After all, the salaries here in Orlando aren't all that great now that I think about it...