Dispatch from…. Virginia?

Yes, that is right. The adventure of living on my own (with Terra of course) in Minnesota has brought us to North Central Virginia. How did this happen? That is a bit of a story. Not long enough you need a snack, but you may want to get comfy.

Why did I leave Minnesota?

A place needs to have certain components to feel like home. Safety, community, and opportunity are critical needs for me. Without a doubt, I felt safe, I have no complaints at all about the safety I felt living in Minneapolis, or the suburb I moved to. Yes, my car was broken into, but I was never in any danger. I had opportunity covered with a decent paying job, and was building my community slowly. Then things fell apart.

For reasons I found myself without a job. Suddenly, I lost my opportunity and most of the community I had built. I was tossed into the deep end and sinking fast.

So why Virginia?

Safety: Finding a place I feel safe is not all that hard. So could not have been the deciding factor.

Community: The need to be surrounded with mutual love and supporting people was a very living factor. My choices were to return to Wisconsin or move to Virginia.

Opportunity: I spent months in 2022 and 2023 looking for work and had no luck. The thought of repeating that task was daunting. Not only that, being out of work I had an urgency to move. I need to find something quickly. On the other hand, the East Coast is a hub for government and private opportunities. In Virginia, state and local governments are looking for workers with an understanding of sustainability practices. In Wisconsin, the surrounding local governments have very established systems so there are fewer new jobs and more experienced candidates. The corporate opportunities are better here as well. Companies working with the Federal government or with national and international branches are more likely to be located in the Mid-Atlantic region than the Midwest.

All and all, I’m pretty lucky. I will miss my friends and family in Wisconsin and the friends I had made in Minnesota. Yet, I am still able to go to sleep every night in Virginia and feel safe, loved, and hopeful.