Paradise isn’t a place.

21 degrees and snowing > 77 and sunny.

No, I’m not kidding.

I can live anywhere in the world. My business gives me the means and the flexibility. Anywhere. You name it. Australia. Japan. Ohio.

Since I turned old enough to vote, I’ve lived in unique places — Bilbao, Spain, Nashville, Tennessee and Kona, Hawaii. In total, those three cities are a cumulative 8,788 miles away from my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

And you know what else those cities are 8,788 miles away from?

My family.

It’s really only in the past 60 years or so that blink-of-an-eye worldwide travel has become accessible. Sure, Mark Twain & Co. sailed around on steamships, but the concept of moving away from family — from community — is still new in the context of human history.

Here's Sahil Bloom's sobering perspective on the speed of time and the impact of family: “If your parents are 60 and you visit once a year, you may only see them 20 more times in your life.”

We all have different family dynamics and different timelines with our loved ones. But — family or not — we all do have loved ones. And a year passes for you in the exact same time it does for me.

I’ve talked to people who have lived in their birthplace their whole lives. They usually say they want to get out — to experience something new.

I’ve talked to people who haven’t been home in years. They usually say how much they miss it.

The grass is always greener on the other side. But there's one lawn that will always feel spongy and lush between your toes — no matter how severe life's droughts.

So where am I going with my self-employment flexibility? I’m going back home.

Sure, it probably seems insane to pick Michigan over Hawaii. To volunteer for piles of exhaust-covered brown snow over sun-drenched emerald cliffs.

But next to those dingy snow banks? That’s where my community is.

And I look forward to seeing them more than any sunrise.