Many people of my generation that live in my hometown cannot wait to move away. They either move to a more urban area, or they move out west. For me though, I could not imagine living anywhere else in the world.

I live in a small New England town that's out on the countryside. It is about a half-hour drive from James Taylor's hometown. The population here is about 1,000. That's it.

I love my hometown. It is such a perfect place to live. Granted, you have to drive at least a half hour to get anything (ex. groceries, clothing, electronics, go see a movie) because it's in such a rural area, but that's what is so great about it. If you're in an area with all sorts of shopping centers and supermarkets and restaurants, it tends to be crowded, and I cannot live in a crowded area.

My hometown is the ideal getaway place. I live on 86 acres of land plotted along a ridgeline, which makes the view from my front deck exceptional. We overlook the center of town that sprawls across the valley, and at the opposing side of the valley is the town ski area. You can imagine that the scenery in the fall is magnificent.

I think the greatest benefits of living where I live is the peacefulness and privacy. I don't have to worry about any neighbors watching me or keeping me up at night. My driveway on the town's main rd. is almost a mile long and crosses a river. Since no one else lives on our side of the river, we have the priviledge of added privacy.

At the other end of town is Dad's house, which is a great spot in it's own regard. I grew up at my dad's for the first six years of my life before my parents divorced, but after Mom moved out, I am not there all too often.

When I got my driver's permit when I turned 16, I confirmed my home address would be Mom's, not Dad's. As selfish as it may sound, I realized that the majority of my time spent is at Mom's, and almost all my belongings are there as well. Besides, for the last 8 years or so, I have been calling Mom's house "home" and Dad's house "Dad's", so to me, it made sense. The homesick feeling some people get happens to me when I'm away from my mom's house, but not when I'm away from my dad's.

Sometimes, I wonder if I'm hurting my dad's feelings by not calling his house "home." Everytime he sees any paperwork of mine with Mom's address on it, he always tells me, "You should get that changed because you're real home is right here. You've grown up and lived here you're whole life." Well, I might've lived there the first 6 years of my life, but I'm not there nearly as much as I am at my mom's. That's why I do not consider it home.

I've always had a stronger relationship with my mother than I ever did with my father. Much stronger. When I was younger, most people my age more than likely thought I was weird for wanting to spend time with my mom more than anyone else in the world. Perhaps our bond has weakened in face-value over the past few years as I have grown more independent. We argue more often. I am not always as respectful to my mother as I should be. However, the love we have for one another as a mother and son has never depriciated. I still care about her as much as I ever have, and vice versa. I believe she is just having a difficult time dealing with the "empty nest" period now that both of her sons are in college. Probably the only thing keeping her sane is her new job at the post office. Otherwise, the thought of her youngest child going to college would psychologically crush her.

When I sometimes wonder why she just can't let me go, I try to put myself in her shoes. It gives me a better sense of where she is coming from. She always seems like she's still trying to protect me, and sometimes it gets on my nerves.But if I hypothesize what it'd be like for me to parent a 19 yr. old son/daughter, I can see myself doing the same things my mother does, and it makes it easier for me to understand her viewpoint.

In conclusion of this entry, I guess my point is that I have learned that where you come from and who cares about you can shape who you are. I am thankful to have been raised with such a loving family and in such a wonderful place.