My Dear John to My Dear Boston...
Posted on Mon, Oct 22, 2012
By Jessica Ciccone | @jblciccone
Dear Boston,
We have enjoyed quite a journey, but the time has come for me to move on. It’s not that I don’t love you, but sometimes people simply outgrow each other.
I want you to know that while I was raised in St. Louis, it is here with you that I really grew up. I arrived a scared Missourian with a knack for writing and taste for adventure, and I leave as a confident adult with a mind for strategic communications and a love for all things nautical (I’m talking to you MV). You really have been a great mentor, introducing me to so many creative people that have taught me so much about drive, innovation and leadership. So thank you. Keep continuing to inspire greatness and curiosity – it is one of your best traits.
But let’s be honest, we didn’t really get off on the right foot. You hit me hard with plenty of Nor’easters and subzero weather my first winter on your shores. This Midwesterner did not know what hit her. My poor Missouri car barely withstood the mountains of snow. And of course, we can’t forget the time your beloved Red Sox crushed my Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. Was there really a need for all those brooms?
That said, I will miss you. I will miss our walks along Castle Island, history lessons around every corner, our friendly chats with my Irish neighbors, our ferry rides to work in the Charlestown Navy Yard, the shopping and people watching on Newbury Street, the drives we took through beautiful New England. But most of all I will miss your family. You really do have the best family, Boston. It is with them that you have become a true home in place that was once so foreign and intimidating. Make sure you take good care of them.
And don’t think this is goodbye – I will definitely be back. You can expect me back for all the important Boston holidays; you know, St. Patrick’s Day, 4th of July, summer in general. You might even get sick of me. So don’t cry - I’ll see you soon!
xoxo,
Jessica
