Since graduating from Albion College in May of 2012 I have moved from my hometown of Albion, MI. I’ve lived there all my life and needless to say I was pretty comfortable living there; a beautiful town with tons of charm and a close-knit community, you can’t go wrong. In August of 2012 I traded that all in for my 720 square foot, 1-bedroom apartment in the heart of downtown Detroit. These past seven months have been some of the most vibrante, exciting, diverse, challenging and eye opening months of my life.
Because I have enjoyed my life in Detroit, I have made up my mind to stay and here are the top three reason why:
1. I haven’t discovered everything yet. There is a D:Hive list of restaurants for lunch and dinner on my refrigerator that still need to be checked off. I haven’t seen every piece of art in the DIA or read about every exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum. I haven’t seen a show at the Fox or the Fisher theaters yet. There are just so many things to do and enjoy when you live in Detroit that one year is certainly not enough. I look forward to the springtime as I explore with my camera on afternoon weekend walks. I can’t possibly leave before I’ve seen it all.
2. I want to be a part of the change. Chances are you’ve heard of the changes that are on the horizon for Detroit. New businesses, the M1-rail, new developments and more get closer and closer each day. Living in Detroit seems like a test of ones patience, but it’s a good test. Good things come to those who wait and I know that there are good things coming to Detroit. I want to be able to tell anyone that will listen that I was in Detroit and a part of Detroit when we turned over a new leaf and reinvented ourselves.
3. Detroit deserves more of my time: This is a philosophy that I have recently adopted. Yes, come August 2013 I will have spent one year, living, working, playing and giving in Detroit but since when is one year enough? Detroit has had some difficult years but there is a strong group of believers and I am now one of them. Detroit deserves more of my unique perspective, my ideas, my manpower and my love.
There are many more reasons that I want to stay and I’m sure someone could give me a list of reasons I should leave but I’m choosing not to listen. I see Detroit as a chance to make my mark so the city is stuck with me.
———————————————————————————————
Feel free to follow me on Twitter @cndobbins to stay up to date on what I’m doing in Detroit