The answer to complacency

Lately, I've thought about moving.

I've been working on projects in Washington, DC for the last year and a half. I like the people I work with, and Federal clients allow for much more sane work hours. There are opportunities for a move out there, and so I contemplated moving.

It's always been at the back of my mind as an option. A promotion, pay raise, and forty hours a week with no travel always sounded great. But I've also been settled in here in the Bay with a small house, all of my family, and great friends.

Still, this past week I found myself enjoying even my mundane work routine in DC. The District definitely has a different flavor, but it's grown to be a comfortable one. I've always hated the restaurants before, but this week, I found a good (though extremely expensive) one near my hotel - high class but definitely not pretentious. The (relatively) extreme weather that I never could get used to proved surprisingly pleasant for a mid-winter week. And though I don't have many friends out there, Brandi reminded me that the ones I do have are great company.

Thinking about it seriously made me realize how difficult moving across the country can be. I'd have to sell my house, my car, and my furniture. The hardest part would be saying goodbye to my family and friends. And then I'd have to find a place to live and a new social circle. Are any of us really still the same after making such changes?

So maybe it's the change I'm longing for. It's not that I'm yearning for change; I've gotten quite complacent where I am. But I think the complacency, comfortable as it is, is stifling me. There's a part of me that wants to snap out of it. The more rational part of me is fighting it, saying, "let's not go too far."

I'll start small, making changes here at home. I don't yet know what those might be. But I'll figure them out, one at a time, and maybe someday, I'll realize I've gone far enough, and finally be satisfied.