Hello Readers!
I love my neighbors, my neighborhood. Here I feel connected. It’s small and there is a reason we all chose to live in a small town in a valley surrounded by mountains. We aren’t rich on this block in terms of money, but we are rich in terms of camaraderie.
On this street consisting of three blocks, I have friends, my best friend, acquaintances, dog sitting neighbors, promoter of my business, clients of my business, contractors with helpful advice, rabbits, and unfortunately wood rats which have taken up residence under my home now that my cat has gone missing (coyotes or an abduction—too sad).
The trash men are kind and will even pick up my trash if I forget to put my bins out to the curb. The mail lady smiles and seems happy to be doing her work as well. There are some neighbors I rarely see and some I see daily. A few I still don’t know their names and others I’ve known since childhood.
A few homes are now cabin rentals, and others are cabins when they are not visiting themselves in their second homes. I straddle the world of having been both a cabin owner and now a full time resident. I understand the frustrations from the residents’ perspective regarding cabin rentals but I also see the benefits of being a cabin owner.
This part of town (the town not incorporated into the lake side of town) I feel, as do my neighbors, is the best place to live. For whatever reason, there is not as much snow and it takes less time to melt. The road is flat, the driveways are flat and in snow country that means no sliding down the drive either into your home or into the street. It’s fabulous. And, if you happen to slide on the ice while driving down the road, it’s wide enough to avoid hitting anyone or anything. I simply love it! As do we all!
I grew up on this block and moved away for 30 years. A few things have changed, but very little in fact. In a world that is constantly changing it is soothing to me that this street has virtually remained the same. Perhaps the biggest changes have been the restoration of my childhood home and property. I fenced it in this last spring and resurrected my chimney and fireplace that fell down in an earthquake (along with half the population in the community ) over 30 years ago.
There are some neighbors who are aloof, some neighbors who are always outside and others, like myself, are in the middle depending on the mood of the day. My newest friend is Dave; he’s the most social of all. He reigns at the top, or rather, the northern end of our beloved street. I reign the southern end. For gender purposes he claims King of the Northern Realm and I the Queen of the Southern Realm. This is purely something he and I have established between ourselves. And as we claim our spaces, we’ve come together to connect both realms by uniting the street of three blocks. We are getting to know our neighbors on both ends and it is a joy! Best of all, I have my best friend Candy who lives across the street! Imagine that for good luck!
I share this with you readers, because these are the small benefits that come with loss. Over time those benefits grow and morph and become the new best thing—like living in a cozy neighborhood within a town embedded and surrounded by rugged beauty.
When you lose much, it forces you to change. Under difficult experiences some people change for the worst and others for the better. There are always choices. I chose to reclaim what my soul always knew—I must live in nature. I must return to my home community, my neighborhood, and my childhood home.
It was never enough for me to be in an urban environment with perfect lawns and fenced in nature preserves. Nor was it enough to have only two seasons—hot summers and damp, rainy winters. My former neighbors were limited to those adjacent to my home because they were the most likely I would see. With automatic garage doors in abundance, most people were only seen driving in and out of their structures, me included. Unlike a smaller community, urban areas are full of neighborhoods with rotating neighbors. Few remain and few choose to invest in creating a neighborhood. Not so here.
No! Here I have four blessed seasons: flowery, green springs; warm, dry summers; colorful, cool autumns; and now snowy, sleety and unpredictable winters. I have a lake, mountains, endless hiking and beauty all around me no matter the season. However, it’s not just about the nature it’s about this street full of wonderful people from childhood up to adulthood. I am rich!
As for you…Are you living in a place that fills you? If not, be the one to create that space or move to a place that has been created for you. It’s your choice. You get to decide. If the timing is not right to move, that’s OK. The time will come and when it does, you’ll know!