I found this quote in a recent Chuck Klosterman book I was reading and I clung on to it:

"This is what being alive feels like, you know? The place doesn't matter. You just live."

At the time (not too long ago) it felt right. Maybe it's because so many people are coming and going and I'm at the age where everyone I know (myself included) is a little restless and when I think about this quote I feel okay about the decisions I have made. Maybe it makes me feel better to not put such an emphasis on place, and more on just living your life.

Then I was recently in a class (more on that later) and this quote got me:

"Place Matters."

He described it beautifully. About how some cling to the memory of their childhood and even though people move away they will always remember that place. About how people are loyal to the place they live in (Bostonians are incredibly loyal and it's part of the charm I love here.) Places might change but memories don't, and just because you are no longer there doesn't mean that place didn't once matter. I don't ever plan on living in New Jersey again, but do I consider that my home? Boston is my new home. Vietnam was once my home. And one day, I'll have a new home, hopefully on the west coast for a little while. How much do all of these places matter?

When my closest friends are living all over the world (literally) it's hard for me to pick a side. I want both to be true.