Home

I spent grades 7-12 in a small town (500) in North Dakota. Before that I lived in southern Minnesota, except for some short stints in my toddler years that I barely remember and don't count. I don't consider southern Minnesota home, since I was pretty young and was too young to really be formed at the time.

I've now spent more time living away from North Dakota than I spent living in North Dakota. And, although a lot of good things happened during my formative years there, I knew even at the time I wasn't cut out for small-town life in North Dakota.

Yet when someone asks me where I'm from, I usually answer North Dakota. And I know I'm not that far from the ND border, but I don't actually live there. And probably won't again.

So does that mean home is Alexandria, where I've lived for five years? Where is home? Does it matter? I'm not homeless, and rooted more in people and experiences than an actual place. And that works for me. So home is either North Dakota or Alexandria.