Not Leaving, Going

There is a rumor going around and I would like to set the record straight here and now.  We are not LEAVING Indiana but rather we are GOING (or COMING) to Texas.  It is only a slight difference but looked at through the correct lens, it can be a big difference.

When we talk to our friends and (especially) family here in Indiana they want to know when we are LEAVING Indiana or they talk about how much they will miss our family when we LEAVE.  They may choose to use this word innocently enough but perhaps somewhere, subconsciously maybe, they really mean to use it and its subtle negative connotation.  Contrast that with friends and family (I have a cousin in Texas) and their wanting to know when we are GOING to Texas and how much they are looking forward to our COMING there.  Another way this rears its head is saying we are moving FROM Indiana versus moving TO Texas.

I suppose that it could be that it is only I who feels that there is a difference between using either word.  Maybe my subconscious has not made peace with the move just yet.  I doubt this hypothesis as I am very excited (save for the 900+ mile trip while driving a moving van) but I suppose it is possible.  I do know that when I “correct” people from Indiana (by rewording the LEAVE/LEAVING to GO/GOING) they tend to get a bit defensive.  This could be due to the fact that people do not particularly care to have their English corrected but I think that is only partly it and in some way we are offending them and their choice to remain in this state.  In some way, by LEAVING their choice of state, we are making a not so subtle statement about how we feel about their choice to remain here.  It could also be (and this has to be the Texan in me) that they are secretly jealous and wish that they too could move away from here.

At any rate, I do not see it as leaving Indiana but rather going to Texas.  I use this same logic with the wife when going into the office for work.  To her, I am LEAVING her or the house but to me I am GOING to work.  We have had this (not really an) argument about 500 times I suppose.  Of course we using the opposite wording when I am done for the day and LEAVING work / GOING (or COMING) home.  All of a sudden though, the wife is on my side of the discussion and she is most definitely GOING to Texas (though, due to her dislike of Indiana winters, she opening admits that she is also LEAVING Indiana).  To all my Indiana friends out there, we are not leaving anything (especially you) and I know you wish us well (and I also know that some of you want to come with us {you know who you are]).  We will miss you all but will COME back to Indiana for visits.

Jon