5 Comments
User's avatar
Jen Zug's avatar

I “lived” in the Hudson Valley of NY for two years when I was in my 20s and it really did feel like an extended … something. Not a vacation, because I was working, but like… an adventure. I enjoyed the experience, but I had no intention of staying beyond my contract.

Feels like what you’re getting at is where do we call *home.* I enjoyed living there, but I knew I would be coming home to Seattle.

Expand full comment
Kevin Alexander's avatar

Huge +1 to this. I can say I've lived in a few places, but only called one home.

Expand full comment
Erin Sizer's avatar

I agree with you that merely being in a place doesn't equate with having lived here. Piggybacking on Jen's "where do we call home"... in my personal experience, certain places spoke to me/they felt like "home" even after living there for a short time (1-2 years), while others were nice places but never felt like home - even after being there 10+ years.

Expand full comment
Olaf Ransome's avatar

Connection.

If all you do is stay in the hotel for weeks, months, eat out with other people from your home office and then go to work, that is not a connection.

Do you go out with folks who live locally? Are you there at weekends? Have you been to local events like sports.

What is your connection?

Expand full comment
Brian Wiesner's avatar

What a hilarious topic to riff on, "doing work in a coffee shop and walking around" for sure does not count as having lived there. And great point about the criteria of securing a long term lease, it's definitely not for the faint of heart.

Expand full comment