What If I had not grown up Wallace?

Recently I have been in contact with some of the people that I went to school with in Wallace. Several of these guys and ladies I knew from kindergarten through high school. The one common thread of our conversations is that we all agree that growing up Wallace was something very special, and we would not trade growing up there for any other place.

When  I was in the second grade, my parents had decided to move to Los Angeles because my mother's sister and her husband lived there and was encouraging us to move there. My uncle had even found employment for my dad, and so, it looked like we would be moving to the big city. We even started the preliminary packing and discarding of things that would not be making the move with us. 

I have to admit that at first, I was very excited about the prospect of moving to LA. But, then, I started thinking about all of my friends in Wallace. I really don't know what transpired to change the plans, but I still remember the call when my mother and dad called my aunt and uncle in LA and informed them that we were not going to move down there. No, we were going to stay in good old Wallace,Idaho.  My brother and I breathed big sighs of relief that our world was safe. 

I have wondered from time to time what my life would have been like had I grown up LA instead of Wallace. I would have been a big city kid instead of a small town kid. Would my philosophy about life have been radically different? Would my two kids have been born?

Ironically, since I did grow up in a small town, I spent a lot of my youth fantasizing about living in a big city like New York or Los Angeles. I know, I know, kind of a contradiction, was it not? Conversely, had I grown up in a big city, would I have dreamed of living in a small mountain town? 

I have done both now. I lived in New York City, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and smaller towns like Philomath, Oregon. I have spent lots of time in Los Angeles and metropolitan Miami.  It is all good, and I enjoyed the small towns, and I enjoyed the big cities. 

So, what about growing up Wallace? I still would not trade it for anything. As far as big cities versus small towns? Well, happiness comes from having personal peace. I have that wherever I go, for peace and happiness are inside of me, and I take them with me at all times.