If you told me when I took this job that’d I’d stay in St. Joseph for another 2½ years, I probably would’ve been nearly inconsolable.
Somehow that ended up being my reality. Well I’ve grown to love many aspects of this newspaper, my daily commutes back and forth up and down Interstate 29 were not among the desirable parts.
I’ve learned a lot of lessons about real estate and home ownership in my short adult life. Mostly, I know that I bought a house at a historically bad time for investing in real estate when I left college 11½ years ago.
I never intended to be in my old house for more than five years. I ended up attempting to sell it for longer than five years, on and off, in repeated failed attempts to move back south.
I finally completed my move over the weekend.
I’m back to being a resident of Platte City, and it almost feels weird. I spent nearly all of my first 22 years here, and honestly, it feels good to be back.
Coming home isn’t for everyone but it has been for me. Work brought me here first, but I always intended to relocate the family, as well.
More than anything, I wanted to be a person running a local newspaper as a member of the community. It always felt weird writing about taxes and political issues in a county where I didn’t reside.
How could I tell you how to feel about issues when the decisions on them wouldn’t affect me? It’s never felt right.
Part of being a local journalist should involve interacting and spending money in your community. I’m ready to reinvest in the area and make this my home again.
So many people have made me feel back at home during my short tenure at The Citizen, yet I never truly felt like a part of the community. I’ve been happy to serve the faithful readers of this newspaper, but I couldn’t ever shake the thought that I needed to live here.
And believe me, I wanted to make the move sooner.
You forget a lot of the hassles involved in relocating. I have to thank the guys at Platte City Supply and Rental for making my U-Haul experience comfortable.
In my two previous moves, I didn’t have enough stuff to necessitate that big of a vehicle. I could basically put everything in one pickup load and go.
My how life has changed in 11 years. I’m married with one kid and ready to have them enjoy their new home, as well.
And it won’t be just Platte City. I plan to have more time to spend in Weston, Parkville and northern Kansas City now that we will be closer to those activity centers than the ones in St. Joseph.
Maybe I’ll be running into you at Cosentino’s Price Chopper or Zona Rosa or Main Street in Parkville. If you happen to recognize me, feel free to say hello.
Even if you have complaints about the newspaper or suggestions for improvements. I’ll listen.
That’s part of being in the community that you serve, and I’m excited and nervous to enjoy a little bit more of that in the years to come.
I’m just glad to be home.
Ross Martin is publisher of The Citizen. He may be reached via email at editor@plattecountycitizen.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Citizen_Ross.