Although we’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest now for a bit over five years, Rob and I recently both came to the same conclusion. We’re home.
It’s a bit of a shock in some ways to realize that someplace so different from where either of us grew up or imagined living fits us so well. We just feel ourselves here, living a life in tune with our priorities and values, genuinely happy and at peace. It was no easy road getting here -- literally, figuratively, or emotionally – which of course makes even more appreciated.
The sweetness of it all hit me the other morning on my walk. It was a slightly damp, drizzly morning that felt refreshing after so many hot days this summer. At about the half-way point, I stopped along the side of the road to test the ripeness of the wild blackberries. They were just about perfect. I stood there eating plump juicy blackberries right off the bush, moist and pre-washed by the light mist, listening to some favorite songs on my iPod that I had never heard before moving here. It was my version of stopping to smell the roses. The particularly Pacific Northwestern ones. And I had no idea they could smell so right.
3 comments:
Yea! Good for you. Bad for all of us you left behind, but really good for you and I couldn't be happier for you guys. What you wrote reminds me a little of the Switchfoot song "This is home".
We are feeling much the same here in Indiana after 14 years. (How did 14 years pass?) It is amazing what happens when you move out of the rat race in California. Life becomes sweeter somehow. I am glad that you found your blackberries. We find ours at the Farmer's Market each Saturday.
It still amazes me how we didn't really know why we were leaving -- other than we knew it was time -- nor what we were really looking for -- despite an extensive spreadsheet of data -- and yet managed to find what we really needed.
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