I’ve always been interested in identity. How you see yourself v. how other people see you. Who are you? Are we one, the other, or a constant mix of both? Does it even matter?
Where you live has some bearing on your identity (both how you see yourself and others see you). Based strictly on location, someone who lives in DC sounds more interesting to me than someone who lives in Tampa. I know this isn’t true. I believe you can find interesting people and interesting things to do anywhere – you just have to work a little harder to find your niche in some places. Maybe living in the city makes it easy to seem interesting. Am I not the same person in Tampa as I am in DC?
My relocation to Tampa from DC was the right decision, but after months of anxiety and depression, the fears are foremost on my mind. I fear becoming uninformed, out-of-touch, off-trend, dull, stupid, uninteresting, and uninterested. As I write this I know that it is untrue, especially because it is based in fear. But it’s perched at the front of my thoughts. Working against this will be a challenge but I can only move forward with life or try to fight it.
Trust me, there’s nothing ‘informed’ or interesting about D.C. The only difference is, it’s connected to other people, which means they share more easily the same biases and misconceptions than do, say the people in more spread-out locales. Keep your chin up — I know what it feels like.