I was raised in Watertown, Minnesota, a small conservative bedroom community 40 minutes west of Minneapolis. I didn’t feel like I fit in. Watertown wasn’t “home.” On my 16th birthday though I received my driver’s license and ventured into “the big city,” Minneapolis.

Minneapolis was my Mecca. There was art and culture! People of different colors and creeds! The city had a pulse and I wanted to be apart of it. When I turned 18 I moved to Minneapolis.

Ten years ago Minneapolis owned my heart.

But that was ten years ago.

After touring things feel different. Weird. Like I have no business being back in Minneapolis. It’s a great city with a lot of awesome people, places, and things, but I can’t wait to leave.

Minneapolis doesn’t feel like home anymore. But neither did Nashville, Memphis, or Louisville.

So. Where am I headed next? Who knows. As far as the Twin Cities are concerned, I’m not sure if I’ll be here a year from now. I don’t know where I’m going, but I know I have nothing keeping me in Minneapolis.

In May, five months before leaving on tour, I wrote a (currently unpublished) blog about the “5 Things I Love About MPLS.” The list: friends & family, Lake of the Isles, art & culture, First Universalist Church, and all the indie bike & coffeeshops.

When I examine the list now I realize friends and family will always be friends and family — regardless of where you happen to be. And sure, Lake of the Isles is fun to walk around, but it’s a man-made lake and if I had to bet, I’d assume there are other — better — natural lakes that produce the same feelings of elation and peace. First Universalist puts sermons online so those come with me wherever. And all it takes for a city to become a “bike city” is for friendly people to get on bikes. Lastly, other places have art and culture too!

I’ll make the best of being here now. I’ve been busy these past few weeks acting in training scenarios for the Barbara Schneider Foundation, teaching at Young Actors Theater Company, helping around the office at NTC, and even doing a bit of dating. In the next two weeks I’ll be teaching at Harmony Theatre Company and then it’s back on the road!

So I’m not “home,” but I’m back holding my breath waiting to leave. One day I look forward to writing about finding “home,” what it feels like, where it is, and encouraging you to visit.