why am i here?

no, i'm not attempting to discover my purpose on this planet via a blog entry... just my purpose in this particular city. i came here, originally, because B & i wanted to get back to virginny, i wanted to go back to school, he had a job here, rents were low... that was, what, 13 years ago? (oof!) i left for a while, and there was a time that i only lived here "because that's where my apartment was," as a wise man once said, but why now? why am i still here? i have one friend here who i really dig, and i never see her... many good friends live 90 miles away, and i scarcely see them either. B is only a few hours away, but i never get there, either... he'd be a similar few hours away by plane, if i lived elsewhere... a couple nights ago, when C made his near-monthly case for me moving to NYC, i thought, "sure, but i could just keep this apartment in richmond forever, because it's relatively cheap, and always have somewhere to come home to--" but is this really home? couldn't i move all this stuff to another sweet pad, in another city, with a balcony and an office, and feel the same? maybe in a city that had a less expensive airport? what if that new pad was closer to my aging folks, in an even more happening town? a town where men wear boots without shame, and i could ride horses more months out of the year? a town that was near road-tripping distance of the town where i'd like to someday pursue an MFA? the real reason i "can't" leave is school-- i swore i wouldn't leave til i finished my undergrad-- but that was years ago, and i've made no moves in that direction for quite some time. well, not in the direction of the BA, anyway. the AA could be had for a grand or two, and about 7 months... the BA for 4 or 5 grand, and about 9 months... do i care? can i break the pact i made with myself, if i find it doesn't matter anymore? what DOES matter to me anymore? location doesn't seem very high on that list. but is that a reason not to move, or a reason for my physical location not to matter one bit? comments welcomed on this matter... the town up for consideration is austin, at the moment, though it could be anywhere, really...