Lane talks about the American tension between place and space in the book. On the gird the vertical line is space feeling between threat and freedom. Americans strive for the wide-open places and spaces where they feel free from containment. But at the bottom of the grid there is a fear of being lost in open and vast places. The horizontal line is place between comfort and constriction. The comfort and care of small towns are appealing to many, it is a place where you are known and cared for by many in the community. But the idea of being held down and being constricted by the mundane routine of small town America drives many people away.
I feel that I have a good balance for where I live. Living in Northern Virginia I am able to have a sense of a small town. I have lived there for 20 years and now many people I am able to bump into people I know at random places. But it is big enough for me to not know everyone. Unfortunately it can seem cramped at times. I do long for the open plains and fields or the lake of the north to be free.
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