boston-red-soxI like to call myself a Boston lifer. It’s a bit of an exaggeration though. It’s true that I was born here and grew up here (besides ages 4-7 which were spent in Connecticut). I went to college here and then a little while after that, I moved away for what I thought would be a couple of years. Two years quickly turned into twelve, but come on, who’s counting? What’s also true is that we moved back home last summer and I am so happy to be back.

Even after the worst winter in recorded history.

My taxi driver and I were talking about Boston the other day. He’s from Haiti and has been here for six years. I asked him why Boston was the city for him. He said, “There’s something for everyone in Boston!” And he’s right. It’s a great city. I loved growing up here and I’m thrilled to be raising my kids here. Taking my daughter on a field trip to the Aquarium this spring was a total flashback for me to my own field trips to the Aquarium as a kid. It’s pretty cool.

But not everything has been exactly how I expected.

Boston has changed.

I know, I know, it’s been twelve years. Of course cities change! Stores and restaurants move in and out, neighborhoods flip one way or another, street fairs and neighborhood art festivals pop up. But the last time I lived here, the Big Dig was just a giant hole in the ground (and a giant monetary disaster). Now there’s this whole beautiful central park thoroughfare in the middle of the city, with green spaces and fountains and even a carousel. It’s like Boston got a major facelift and I don’t always recognize it anymore (read: I get lost often). It’s pretty amazing how this city has evolved.

What I want to do in Boston has changed.

After all, I’m not a young single girl anymore who can stay out until all hours singing along at Jake Ivory’s piano bar (is that even around anymore?) My tastes have changed. I’ve discovered the wonderful Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline,taken the kids to Wilson Farm in Lexington and on the Swan Boats in the Public Garden.  I know there’s so much more to discover. (Any suggestions?) Rediscovering Boston has been a great experience that I am excited to continue this summer.

My ability to be a sports fan has changed.

I didn’t realize how much of a Red Sox fan I was until I spent 12 years in Yankee country. Living in New York,  I rarely ever wore Red Sox gear. It just wasn’t worth the dirty looks or the arguments that the bagel guys would start with me. Then I moved back home. And people wear Red Sox stuff ALL OF THE TIME. It’s like a uniform around here. On Opening Day, I put on my Sox shirt with pride. It was so great to wear the clothes of Red Sox Nation in Red Sox Nation. I can wear a Red Sox hat because I want to and it’s fashionable, not because my hair doesn’t look good. I can’t tell you how liberating that is!

And my age has changed.

I know that seems intuitive, but when you move away from home at a specific age, and only come home on vacations, it sometimes feels like everyone freezes in time. I kind of expected that everything would be the exact same as it was when I left. It’s not. I keep thinking that I will run into friends from high school or college all over the place, but I don’t. And the other day I suddenly realized why: it’s not that they don’t live here, or that they keep such different hours from me. It’s that they’re not 18 anymore, and neither am I. We just don’t recognize each other; I’m looking for the version that I used to know and none of us are exactly who we were in high school. (Thank goodness.)

No matter what, I’m happy to be back. Singing along to Red Sox on the radio (which, by the way, they play ALL THE TIME) with the windows down as I cruise through my old neighborhood makes me elated. It’s the simple things in life–friends, family, and hometown–that make me happy.

Boston, you’re my home.