Small Town Living

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It was an adjustment moving to a small town when we first got here. First, there were the comments "Oh, you're not from here? You won't stay." That attitude is not condusive to making friends, let me tell you. Then there are the ways people give directions- landmarks are homes of people or places where there used to be a home but it burned down 15 years ago, neither of which is helpful when you have no idea who those people are. 

When we decided to move here, childless at the time, but planning to raise a family, make memories here, make this community our home for the long term, it was a decision that was not taken lightly. And it was the right decision for us. 

We've been here six years and it feels like home. I like it here. We have the conveniences we need and the outdoor activities we enjoy both available to us. I appreciate the simplicity of small town living. We don't spend time stuck in traffic. We dont have to pay to park. I know my way around. I can stop at home on my lunch break (oh, how I love my hour at home alone). The crime rate is low. We are not far from the grocery store, our jobs, or schools. We can walk to get a gallon of milk or walk to a restaurant for date night (oh, how I love that too). I can walk, run or bike to most of my friend's homes, the grocery store, the library and my daughter's school. We can spend time giving back and there is community support for the organizations that are here. I know my neighbors. It is peaceful. I run into people I know often. I feel safe.

It has been fun to explore the restaurants and shops to find our favorites, making memories in our own corners of our community. I'm not talking about our home or offices. There is the restaurant we ate at on our first date here, and the new roads we found while on our exploratory runs together, the same spot on the country road my husband hit a deer and I slid into the ditch one winter, the church that we joined together, the hospital I gave birth to our daughter at, the first park we took our little girl to.

We joke that when we go for runs, we don't always get the workout we intended because we run into our neighbors/friends along the way. But we don't mind. That is another part of the charm of small town living.

Today was just another reminder of just how nice it is to live in a small town. While trick or treating with my little girl, unbeknownst to me, I lost my phone. The person who found it searched through my contacts and recognized the names of my family members and friends and called my husband to let me know she had it. How lucky is that?!

~Angela