In the rare times when I've not been within a few kilometres of the sea, I've had this same feeling of looking around, not being sure what was missing.

Apparently other things can take the place, with the mind (or is it the spirit) accepting one thing as a replacement for another. Mountains come to mind. Lakes and rivers, too, plus geologic formations. People tell me that these sorts of things can take the place of the sea.

But the prairie, the vast prairie? To me, at least, the challenge of adjusting to the prairie would require replacing something with nothing. I can see how people would theorize that moving to the prairie could break one's spirit.

I'd love to hear how prairie folks feel when they move near the sea, or to a spot within sight of the mountains. Perhaps the anisotropy of view and mobility starts to gnaw at them.