I was walking around and around. I remember that much. I might have been crying, I might not. I probably was. I still cry every time Charlotte dies at the end of Charlotte's Web. So I was walking around and around the third floor of our house in Kansas City back in August 1982. I didn't want to leave. But all of our stuff was packed. The only thing left was the house. And I didn't want to leave. So I kept walking around and around, hoping that somehow I wouldn't leave.

This is all kind of strange, when you consider that I was as gung ho for our 1982 move to New Mexico as I had been for any of the other moves we had. I liked moving. I like moving. And New Mexico, home to my dad's family, was an exotic land full of promise. I was excited to go. And yet, at the last minute, my gut told me it was a bad decision.

In many ways it was, but that's old family history. Right now, Barbara, Max, Sam and I are writing the history of our own family. And we're moving from a house we love in a city we love--not to mention from friends we love--to go to Washington D.C. Or somewhere near D.C., anyway. We don't have a place yet.

The reasons for this move are obvious: It's a great job for Barbara, and since she's still with the same newspaper, she can come back in two or three years if she likes. In fact, the newspaper would like for her to come back. In many ways, this is a chance to hang out in a city we like for a while and see if we like it. If we don't, we can always come back to Durham.

I'm a moving kind of guy. I've lived in nine states and three time zones in my life (something like 22 separate domiciles in my 35 years). I like moving. I like seeing new places. I like hoping there's something cool to see around the corner. I don't go to the same restaurant or two--or, at least, I didn't until I had kids.

Nonetheless, there's a reason my sojourn in Durham has lasted longer than any other during my life. The end of this week will mark seven years in Durham. I've lived in the same house for more than six years (also a personal best). I like living here. I can easily envision living here for the rest of my life. It's a comfy place for me. There are good grocery stores, a good beer store, more than a dozen "art house" movie screens, art (in general) galore and so much more. Our entire area (and Durham in particular) is exceedingly vital, especially if you live near a downtown. It's hard to leave that, even though I know D.C. has plenty of culture as well.

The announcement of my departure has stripped away some of the veneer of my self-importance. My position on the neighborhood board will be eliminated; all the work will go to the current secretary. My job managing the web site for the local alternative weekly paper will also be eliminated. My work will be split up among a number of people.

It's so nice to know when you're really needed.

So it's not like I'm leaving some sort of big legacy behind. Though it is nice to be recognized in public as one of the people who spearheaded the change in the North Carolina beer laws last summer. I haven't actually gotten any beer out of these encounters, but the occasional "You rock, dude!" is a nice stroke to the ego.

My own feeling is that we'll be happy in D.C. As happy as we are now? I dunno. That's why you try something new. And I suppose that this is something akin to the "one last fling" some folks take before getting hitched. You'll know if it's right if you come back. Or something like that.

And make no mistake: We're going to D.C. because it's a place we've always wanted to live. The job is a nice thing, but it isn't the reason. If the same sort of job came open in, say, Dallas (and it couldn't for a variety of reasons, but let's assume it could), we wouldn't go. But D.C. has charm and smarm all its own, and I for one am quite excited about giving it a whirl

But that doesn't mean I won't be circling around my house at the end of January, wondering if I keep walking maybe I can make us stay. Even when a move is for all the right reasons, it isn't necessarily easy.

Jon Worley has no plans to stake out the White House after his move, though the thought did cross his mind.