That is really different than the way I grew up! Where we lived, the closest relatives were a 1.5 hour drive away, so it took advance planning to go there, especially when my siblings and I were young. The other side of the family lived on the other side of the country. Visiting them involved a day-long flight, a trek we made every 2 years or so. When we did head east, I thought it was fun that two of our cousins lived across the street from Grandma and Grandpa, but I never imagined such a life for myself.
In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I realize I have rarely lived in the same place as any family member since starting college. The one exception that comes to mind is my mom's cousin, who is kind of like an aunt. We both lived in Seattle and DC at the same time, and we had all sorts of fun together :)
Adding DF's family to the mix now means I've got Midwestern blizzards to contend with if we want to spend the holidays with them. He has 20+ aunts/uncles between the two sides of his family spread across several states...I doubt I'll ever meet all of them. Oh, and I should note that DF's brother did live in Seattle at the same time as us for a couple years.
How would life be different if I had settled permanently in my hometown? Perhaps gone away for college, but ultimately returned? Would I be happy? Would my life be less stressful, more holistic/connected/intertwined with those around me? Would I have a stronger sense of place and community? Would I be bored and wonder what I'm missing out on beyond the confines of my little valley?
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