The other day, Susan said, “What about Massachusetts?” Massachusetts has legalized gay marriage, they have the closest thing to universal healthcare there is in the U.S. (from what we can tell so far), and we wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of becoming citizens of a whole different country.
A fellow writer suggested that instead of fleeing the country, we ought to stay and try to change things in the United States.
I don’t know if wanting to move someplace – whether it’s across the country or out of the country – is like chasing a rainbow. Maybe I’ll never be able to capture what I’m after outside of myself; maybe I can only find true peace and happiness within, and moving around (or even dreaming of it) is a convenient distraction from that.
Then again, what if moving someplace in particular would somehow facilitate the process of discovering my own inner peace?
Sometimes I wonder how to tell the difference between true desire (which leads you on your true life path) and obsession, between resistance brought on by fear and resistance brought on by honest disinterest, between what is really good for me and what isn’t.
So, for the sake of trying to look at this practically, here are some pros and cons to moving to Massachusetts… Susan and I have been looking particularly at Northampton, MA.
Pros:
- Gay marriage and adoption are legal.
- Massachusetts has a public option for healthcare.
- Seasons (sometimes cold ones, but the change can be nice…).
- Northampton has great schools – elementary through college – which means the potential for great jobs (as Susan and I both work in the education field) and a good education for kids down the road…
- Northampton has been called the “top town for a simple life,” the “#1 small arts town in the U.S.,” and (and I quote) “Lesbianville, USA.” Three things that are especially appealing to Susan and me: simplicity, the arts, and an acceptance of our relationship.
- Cost of living in Northampton is definitely lower than Hawai’i. We could even buy a house at some point!
- Bike trails and parks where we can walk our dog Jake.
- More social and political activism (to get us working on making positive change within the U.S. instead of fleeing).
- Friends and family on the East Coast.
- The ability to see my sister more often, as she often goes to New York on business.
Cons:
- Well, it ain’t Hawai’i – by which I mostly mean, it gets cold! Hawai’i's also got a laidback atmosphere we enjoy. And beautiful beaches!
- We’d miss our friends Jill & Evelyn.
I’m sure I’ll think of more pros and cons as we do more research. Right now, however, I’m thinking that Massachusetts may be a decent compromise to getting more of what we want without having to leave the country altogether…
