Things have gone well for me in Seattle and at Amazon. I could stay here and continue my career in Seattle if I desired. If you had talked to me 6 years ago one of the major reasons I wanted to move here was to see if I could hang with the big boys career wise. Up to that point Cerner in KC was my only exposure to the tech world. I did well there, career wise, but wanted to know how I’d do on the west coast. So I moved and by all accounts I’ve succeeded and I feel I would continue to do so if I stayed.

Fast forward to today. I live in Seattle and own land in the Cascades just outside of Leavenworth. Things are going down a path I’m excited about. For once in my life it feels like I’m on the “right” path. So why move? The major thing I’ve regretted during my time here is the distance from family and friends. Money can’t fix distance. I was flying back to MO once a year or when there were emergencies which was not enough quantity wise. My visits were also of low quality as I didn’t get to see how my friends or family were really doing. We’d get coffee or a quick meal and try to talk about what had happened in the last year. These are tough conversations as very few people, including myself, really know how they’ve changed over a period of time. We know how we think we’ve changed which gets presented in terms of how we want to appear rather than the reality. This is at least what I’ve learned with these trips. Also not many of us will say that we hurt and are in pain. We won’t say we’re confused. We won’t say we’re lost. The times between the peaks and valleys are just as important and tend to convey more honestly how we are doing. You don’t get to see those or be apart of them on yearly trips.

So, why am I moving back? My family is in good shape and I don’t want to miss that. Life long friends are having kids and going through life changes. I don’t want to miss that. I was able to effortlessly get a job in KC working with some old friends. I feel like I’d be taking more of a risk of having the life I want by staying in Seattle than moving back. Seattle and the Bradlands will be here any time I want to see them. The same cannot be said of those we love.