Changing One's Life

I'm remembering back to 1988 when I made the biggest change in my life, next to getting divorced ten years earlier. I was unattached and lived by myself with my cat, Miss Kitty. I had adopted her when she was 1 year old around 1985. She made all of the subsequent moves (I counted six times) with me until 2004 when she went to kitty heaven. I digress. In 1988, I had co-worker friends, tennis friends and my dating scene had run its course. I rarely frequented bars, as it was no fun going to them by myself. I was no pickup artist. After I stopped doing that, I found myself killing time by driving around the streets of Little Rock until I got really bored and went back home. That was probably the darkest hours of my single-mindedness. I wanted to be a single playboy type without a care and I was. But after the fun had run its course, I realized my dating partners were just temporary escorts that I spent money on. No love there, so what was the point. I was single but I was just freakin' lonely. I knew the time was right, and I had dreamed of moving to sunny Florida, as I had visited there once during the winter with my ex-wife. The climate was great, as I remember mild warm days in the middle of December, something I had never experienced before. So I looked at a map of Florida, and after having disqualified Miami, Tallahassee and Jacksonville, I set my eyes on Gainesville, because there was potential work there from the sister company of my last employer. Then I saw this "cutout" about halfway down the west coast, which turned out to be Tampa Bay. I said, "hmm" to myself, and decided to check it out. I think I flew in a couple of times, rented a car and traveled around just to see if I could get lost. I found it easy to get around, so when I returned to Little Rock, I then began to search for leads on contracts. I got a lead, then decided to go ahead and move. All my friends said I had "big balls" to just get up and move without knowing anyone there. There was nothing left for me in Little Rock. I put my house up for sale, and two weeks prior to my scheduled move date, I put it up for rent, as I had no offers. My good friend Murray helped me pack and move. We crammed a 12 foot u-haul up to the ceiling with my crap. The rest I gave away to friends. During my loading up, all of the folks I had been friends with (I like to think of them as the ones that actually cared about me) showed up at different times to wish me well and to send me off. I was definitely ready to hit the road. Murray and I drove from Little Rock to Tampa swapping off between driving the u-haul truck and my '85 Biarritz (that was my pimp mobile, nice ride). It took about 22 hours. My closest blood relative is 18-20 hours away in north Mississippi, just south of Memphis. Distance from relatives was not a deciding factor for me. It was primarily the climate and the chance to get away from snowy and icy winters. My skin couldn't take the dry humidity during the winter anymore. Plus, I was ready to embark on another phase of my life, one that I was creating, not just letting happen. Little Rock was my home for 12 years, the longest I had lived anywhere except my home town where I grew up. Now the Tampa Bay area is my home. I moved a total of six times to where Deb and I are now in Wesley Chapel, just north of Tampa. I will have been here 21 years the end of this month. Geez! Time flies. Now my closest family (Deb's blood relatives) is only 30 minutes away. Most of her family was here, but most have moved to Texas. It is alway great to have family close by regardless. To my niece, do your due diligence as you contemplate your next move (as I'm sure you will). Independence and the freedom to move wherever you want is a wonderful thing.