We have spent the last week between two exotic locations: Shipshewana, Indiana and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Shipshewana is a small town with a large Amish and Mennonite populations. Pigeon Forge is a tourist town on the edge of the Smokey Mountain National Park. Both are nice places with lots to do and see. They are each quite unique in flavor and attractions. They are also both quite different from where we live in Flint.
The question is always asked when traveling, “Is this a place I would like to live?” Nicole asked this of me this week. Between Pigeon Forge and Shipshewana, where would I rather live. I frustrated her with my answer. I replied that either would be fine and i couldn’t choose one over the other.
It’s just that I have learned something in my forty years that she hasn’t yet in her sixteen. I’ve learned that the scenery, the attractions and the recreational opportunities pale in comparison to who else lives there.
If I am not around the people I love and who love me, there isn’t much to draw me there.
Joel Stiff's Adventure 