Thursday, February 12, 2009

Movable Pittsburgh

As I struggle to figure out the logistics of returning to Pittsburgh, the Front Range of Colorado seems to redouble its grip on my life. I live in a vibrant region with exciting short term and long term prospects. Most indicators are pointing towards a Colorado boom and I'm already living in a great place for riding out the current global economic bust. Also, I'm active in my community and I see a number of interesting opportunities on the horizon.

One of the strong pulls of Pittsburgh are the numerous relationships both my wife and I maintain in that region. But virtual contact has proven to be surprisingly satisfactory. As if that wasn't enough, some of our Pittsburgh friends are moving to the Denver area. More of Pittsburgh in Colorado is an attractive option as we weigh a critical relocation decision.

This moment of doubt may soon pass. I've lived in enough places to know that there is always somewhere else. Life in Colorado is comfortable, but it is the problems facing Rust Belt cities such as Pittsburgh that get me up in the morning. Do I need to move there in order to address these issues?

3 comments:

Brett said...

While I don't have a definitive answer for you, my experience since moving back has been interesting and surprising. When I was living in DC, I was very preoccupied with the happenings of Pittsburgh and very interested in working on solutions. That's where my wife and I started the Blurgh (http://www.theblurgh.com), and reimagining things and seeing how they could work differently was very easy.

Since moving back about a year ago, though, it's been harder to think outside the box and imagine solutions. Being outside gives a perspective that is hard to hold onto when you become involved in the day-to-day. I'm not at all saying I regret it, and I think it'd be tremendous for you to move back, but I thought you might be interested in my experience.

Jim Russell said...

Brett,

I find blogging in exile to be very productive and inspirational. But even living in Pittsburgh, I'll always be an outsider. I think I can generate the same magic there that I can here in Colorado.

Father Junto said...

Brett's point is a really good one.

One fear is by going back, you get so absorbed in the day-to-day things, with every committee and every person wanting your time that the ability to sit back and think (and blog) simply gets squeezed out.

Then again, what is the ultimate goal here?

Is it to simply write, or to get one's hands dirty doing the Lord's work?