we love living in a small town. we are half a block from a huge wooded park with a playground, 5 blocks from the kid's school, a mile from the library, a mile from the food co-op (where i am working part-time), a mile from the post office, a mile from our naturopath's office. life has slowed down for us in a wonderful way & we are enjoying every day of it. when we lived in nashville there was a time when we were driving almost 500 miles a week. now there are stretches of days where i'm not in a vehicle at all.
the other day after walking the 3 older kids to school, aven chose not to ride in the wagon on the way home, but wanted to walk and hold onto 2 of my fingers (her hands are still so tiny she can't really hold my hand). it was a slow walk, as we walked at her pace, and the sun was shining and the air here always smells like the conifer trees. off in the distance i could see the san juan islands to the north & the olympic mountains to the south. i felt an encompassing happiness, this sweet walk with my baby girl surrounded by this incredible environment. every once in a while aven would stop to examine a bug or a rock or a plant along the sidewalk. this is the life we have been waiting for. a life where we can accept what each day brings with happiness and gratitude. this place makes that possible for us. everyone who has a place that makes them feel that way, should be in that place. :)
