Aug 6: No! Really??

That's kind of the way I feel about this. Like, "No! Really??" Followed almost immediately by thinking to myself, "Wow!" Because Friday, August 7 is a big anniversary for me - one that's almost hard for me to believe. On this day, I will have lived in South Florida for 20 years exactly. I arrived in my new white Honda Civic on August 7, 1989 to work as investigative consumer reporter for the Sun Sentinel. I moved on to other assignments there eventually but that's what brought me to Florida. Before arriving, I had visited the state just three times: once as a teenager when I drove down to snorkel with a buddy, once with my first wife when I worked in TV news, and once for my interview at the newspaper. I had no idea I would settle here as I'd never settled anywhere else.

That's what accounts for my "No! Really??" reaction. You see, I've moved around in my life. A lot. As a kid, I was in three schools in three different states in third grade. (Coincidentally enough ... ) I've lived in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California and Vermont. And briefly, Switzerland too. I was getting around there for a while, to say the least.

So I'm genuinely amazed that I find myself so happily ensconced in South Florida. So happily that I can write a very honest blog about my enjoyment of the Fort Lauderdale area. I hope my deep affection for this place comes through. It's why I can get so enthused about a morning walk on the beach or the sight of an iguana in a palm tree. This is exotic stuff to someone who still feels in some ways like a kid from Detroit. I love it here. Even after 20 years, I'm still a bit shocked when I step outside into perfect 75 degree sunshine in January. There is a tropical romance to this place, a sexiness to it that helps keep me here too. Along with a remarkable mix of cultures - music and foods and clothing and of course people from all around the world. No place is perfect and South Florida isn't either. I hope I don't make it sound like nirvana in my blogs. But it is a region that feels like home to me now, an exciting environment that bubbles with passion and life. And for my money, you sure can't beat the weather. So, yes, I guess I'll be staying for a while longer. Twenty years and counting. As a writer, I could do my work anywhere in the world. I choose to keep doing it here and, after two decades, I guess that should say something.