About a month ago, I was at Whole Foods on South Lamar in Austin eating two slices of pizza that were in the same price range as a large one-topping from a pizza place in Rockdale, when I received a message from Ken Cooke asking that I call him as soon as I was able to.
After I finished my food, and made my way down the stairs toward the exit, I called, and Ken and Christine answered on speakerphone. After catching up, they asked me if I’d be interested in working with the Rock-dale Reporter.
I was polite and told the Cooke’s that I appreciated the offer, but would need time to think about it. Honestly, my first thought was, there’s no way you could get me to move back to Rockdale.
Over time, the idea of less traffic, friendly faces and writing sports seemed more like an opportunity than drudgery.
The reality of living in a place like Austin, where I have been for the past year and a half, with its congestion and high cost of living took its toll. Because for people like me, a couple of years removed from college, enjoying the social life and leisure activities that the Capital City is known for was out of reach.
I also thought about the fact that I wouldn’t get a chance like this one in a big city. Writing is something I love to do and writing sports for my hometown is something I couldn’t pass up. After a couple of weeks of mulling things over, my mind was made up. I decided to move back home.
Small town living might not be for everyone, but to think there’s no opportunity here would be a bit shortsighted.
To quote Ken Cooke’s column from last week, craft breweries, pizza places, and passion projects fueled by young minds can work here, for a fraction of the price.
When I lived and traveled in Australia, every small town I stayed in or passed through had a coffee shop. Now, all I can think about is when is somebody going to open a coffee shop in Rockdale? I’ll be the first customer.
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