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I was talking to a friend of mine about how much he wanted to move. He hates where he lives and thinks that his location is the root of all of his ills. His entire family lives in and around his current location. His job is there and the school he wants to attend is located about 20 miles down the road from his house. Moving would disrupt all of that. And he has no idea where he wants to go. He just knows it’s not where he is.

I know how he feels. I go back and forth about Springfield. I’ve gone through some of the most unhappy times of my life here and the one thing that I always go back to as the root of the problem is Springfield itself. But then something changes and I’m suddenly not hating on Springfield as much.

What determines whether or not location is the problem?

I know at least part of my problem is Springfield. For one… it is absolutely, positively one of the most boring places I have ever been. There are tons of places to eat and decent places to shop. But other than that… nada. While I do like to eat… I’m not big on shopping. It’s also a college town from hell. There are at least half a dozen decent sized colleges here and so night life is a big thing for young folks like myself.

But two things keep me from taking advantage of that: 1) people to go out with and 2) my lack of interest in going out most of the time. The first one is totally my doing. I haven’t made a huge effort to make friends. The second one is a little more iffy. Every now and then I get the urge to go out and make a night of it. But it’s very rare.

Let’s say for a moment that boredom isn’t an issue. What else about a location could bring you down?

I know that one of things that brings me up out of a Springfield funk is my job. When something new and exciting is going on at work, it helps. At my old job, new and exciting didn’t happen much. After a few months, everything became routine. When I got promoted, I got temporary relief from the routine-induced boredom of work and it helped my overall outlook.

My new job is still very new and exciting… so right now I’m buzzing with lack of routine mania. I’m starting to think I no longer have to worry about routine-induced boredom with this new job, though. While some things are routine… most are not. I mean… how routine could psych patients ever get? One day they’re talking to God and the next they’re pooping in the shower. Nothing about that spells routine.

My family is all close, as well. That helps a lot. We’re able to get together fairly easily for the big things, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as smaller things, like birthdays and other non-seasonal holidays.

So when I put this all together and think about it, I start to wonder just how important location is. Crime and weather aside, isn’t the rest controllable? If you’ve got things to do… family & friends… a job you love… and places to eat… what else is there? Think of place you imagine you’d hate. Now imagine yourself there… but bring your job, your family, and your friends with you.

Would you still hate it there? Is location really everything?