Moving

It's a topic for me this week. I think about it and realize that we do it all the time. In my understanding, we as Americans move frequently within the span of our life. Some moves are across the country and some are "just down the street." Since I first moved out of my parents house 7 years ago, I have moved three times. From a house to an apartment to a house. My parents on the other hand have stayed in the same house for about 23 years. I guess you could defend the longevity of the stay in one home by age claiming that you are are more likely to move when you are first married and without children. The other side of this would be that once you have your children, you will stay in the same location for their sake. Your younger years (20's and 30's?) is the time in your life when you are moving up in your career, increasing your salary, and increasing your lifestyle with few ties to one location (geographically or just an apartment builiding).

I know it's a little off subject, but from time to time I wonder what it was like when the settlers first settled. A family would get some land, build a house, bring in the neighbors to raise a barn roof. Then, when their children grow up the wives of the sons move into the family house and the daughters marry and move in with their husbands family. If they don't move into the same house with their parents, they build another house on the same family farm inviting the neighbors over again for another roof raising. Nothing much changed outside of aging. Same people you live with. Same neighbors nextdoor. Same farm land to plow, seed, and harvest. Same one room schoolhouse for your children as was there for you. The same old "schoolmarm" teaching multiple generations. A large supper every day with your family rather than our standard now of one per year on either christmas or thanksgiving. It seems that only 200+ years later a family of four can easily pin down the United States or even the world by living in the furthest corners from eachother. They head out "looking for a bright new world," I wonder if they ever find it.