So after all that, I moved.
I moved to Thermopolis, WY to work at a leather clothing manufacturing place. That went well for a while but was very difficult. The whole move and resettling was difficult. I’ve never been able to afford to live on my own and it’s been very eye-opening moving to a small town in the middle of a state that’s known for its isolation. (I call it the poor man’s Iceland.)
I’m working at a gallery now and I think I’m going to be moving again. I may want to live closer to people I know in the future. It’s outrageously beautiful out here, but WY is losing its population every year and it tends to have an issue with adapting to new technologies. I feel like I’m living in a version of America few rarely see anymore. I like it more than being in surrounded by sprawl, terrible traffic, and housing that borders on the look and feel of over-priced storage units. But the isolation is aggravating some old demons.
I would suggest moving into these sleepy little towns to anyone. They need you, whoever you are. These towns are dying and they need bodies and young people. They’re losing a battle again justifying their own existence. It’s a terrible shame that these truly supportive communities are disintegrating.