Happiness. That's the relevant thing.

My Italian true love is happy. Living and working in the Sardinian town where she was born and raised.  She left for her advanced education. At a university. And lived and worked for several years in Florence. But she made it back to her hometown. I tell her maybe she’d be better off in a totally new environs. Because coming home again can be stifling. But that’s merely my opinion. I suspect it would have been stifling for me. If I had stayed where I grew up. In a small town in southeast Wisconsin. I needed to get away. To be surrounded by an entirely new cast of characters. New friends. New acquaintances.  New adventures. Gave me a new start. Meeting people for the first time.  With  no preconceived ideas about me. My true love doesn’t have the same advantage. She’s pegged. To a degree. By impressions local folks had when she was younger. But she’s evolved. In significant ways. She’s no longer the same person. Thing is, some of the natives assume she hasn't changed. They expect her to be someone she’s really not. Therefore, they have a false impression. A false image. Which is funny. They really don’t know her.  I suggest that she set the record straight. But then, she’s laughing, too. Sounds like she’s happy. That’s the relevant thing. –Jim Broede