Being in love with where you live, Phoenix, Arizona


I'm in love with where I live, and I kinda worry about people who don't feel the same way about their town. And I'm one of those sloppy, sentimental lovers who stands on a table and sings at the top of his lungs about it. I cringe at criticisms, and I focus on the good things. This is where I want to be, in Phoenix, until death do us part, in sickness and in health.

And really, if you feel the same way about your town, wherever you are, I'm happy for you. I may not understand the attractions of where you live, but I'm genuinely happy for you. I hope that you remain happy whatever happens, remain true, remain in love.

I write a love letter to Phoenix just about every day. On a day like this, in October, it's simply amazing. I grew up in Minneapolis, and October wasn't anything that I looked forward to - I hated the cold. Right now in Phoenix is what I call "Chamber of Commerce Weather" - so perfect that you just want to go outside and be amazed. It rained yesterday, but the air is so clear and clean that the sky is that kind of amazing blue that... well, you see what I mean. I could go on and on, and I will.

I understand that everyone can't be in love where they live. I often ask people who seem miserable why they're there. I started asking that when I lived in Los Angeles, where I saw a LOT of miserable people who wished they lived somewhere else. I also found a lot of people who celebrated their town, who cheered for the Dodgers, and who sang along with the song, "I love LA"! I've tried to focus on those people.

I've done a lot of research on different places to live on Planet Earth, and believe me there are drawbacks wherever you go. There will always be people who will wonder why on the earth you're living where you live, because maybe it's too hot, or too cold, or too crowded, or whatever. I have friends back home in Minneapolis who wonder why in the world I would live in a city that gets to over 100 degrees every summer, and would ask me why I was living on the San Andreas fault when I lived in Santa Barbara. Of course, they're my friends and I ask them why they would want to live in a city with two seasons: snow and mosquitos, and we both shrug our shoulders. Love is a wonderful and mysterious thing.

Find yourself a city to live in. I recommend Phoenix, Arizona, but wherever you find love, I'm happy for you.

Image at the top of this post: A hot air balloon over downtown Phoenix in the 1970s. You're looking south.
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