© 2025 WNIJ and WNIU
Northern Public Radio
801 N 1st St.
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-9000
Northern Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Perspective: Home is where you're comfortable enough

Pixabay

I've been on the go this summer. I've been to Cancun and Miami. Spent a weekend in Chicago. When this perspective airs, I'll be in Pittsburgh.

I haven't had much luck writing about the stuff I've been doing, although I've had some really great experiences. And my itch to move to wherever I visit still hasn't gone away. But DeKalb is where I've settled.

This is where I bought my house, my old house with the one-of-a-kind woodwork throughout the house. When I've gotten the itch to modernize the design and pull out even just a little bit, my boyfriend, the carpenter, tells me absolutely not. Construction is slow this year, and he's been puttering around in the garage refinishing furniture.

We wouldn't be able to have the lifestyle that we have here anywhere else. Fifteen miles east and buying our house would be out of the question. We can walk almost everywhere we need to go. And we have a diverse community, which is a must for me.

Every time I visit Pittsburgh, I get a little bit of FOMO, or fear of missing out, when we go to the museums and visit my friend who I can still find at the same coffee shop I was regular at close to two decades ago.

But overall I'd say this place is pretty okay. And when I need a city fix, Chicago is down the road and I have airline miles.

Here's to getting comfy where we are.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Nia Springer-Norris moved to DeKalb in 2021 to pursue a Master of Arts in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Journalism Studies. Nia is also a freelance journalist, editor, and communication consultant.