PEORIA MAGAZINE March 2022

W O R D C O U N T

M elodyWarnickhasneverbeen to Peoria. Never stepped foot on our sidewalks, never driven our streets or played in our parks. Nonetheless, she just might have the recipe for us all to fall in love again with where we are. In her book, This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are, Warnick explores what draws people to where they live and what makes them want to stay. It’s an important question, as the average American can expect to move 11 times or more, she writes. The author herself was on move No. 6 with her family – from Austin, Texas to Blacksburg, Virginia – when she decided to social experiment her way to happiness. That her book may inspire you, as a lifelong Peorian or a new transplant, to love where you live is why it was chosen for the Peoria Reads! one city/one book initiative for 2022. Two years into a global pandemic, we all need a book that helps us celebrate where we are in life. Maybe you don’t need help loving where you live. We hope you don’t. You will still enjoy this book.Warnickweaves research and checklists and quirky INTERVI EW BY J ENNI FER DAVI S WHERE THE HEART THRIVES What drives us to truly feel at home?

66 MARCH 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE