Friday, July 23, 2010

Ruby Slippers

It wasn't too long ago that I would have considered myself a city girl. Before the kids were born, I was fully immersed in the urban lifestyle. Double income, no kids, car-free apartment-living, lots of traffic noise, washing my blinds four times a year to get the black exhaust residue off...and loving it.

My transition to a small town has been painful at times. It took years for me to get over the loss of my City. There are still things I miss about it - shopping choices, advanced recycling programs - but with every year that goes by, I am introduced to more and more compelling compensations.



It could be that the virtues of small town life, in themselves, are of lesser importance than my emotional need to be happy...maybe I have just adapted to this slower pace, this smaller world, out of my own need for contentment.

I'm not sure it matters.


I've learned a lot in the last 9 years. Even more, I've learned a lot in the last five years. Conservation becomes ever more important to me. Careful consumption. Stewardship. Mindfulness.


The blog has been a big part of this learning process. There have been times I've been tempted to drop it - to stop this (increasingly occasional) conversation we have. Today, though, I was doing some small jobs around the house, and thinking about mending, and the things on my needles, and how I really should get the wheel outside and work on the Shetland, and I realised something.

I want to tell you about it. I like to talk funny nonsense, say sad things, and show you what I'm growing.


I would miss you if you were gone.

And if I'm going to live a humble life in a little place, and learn big things from it....I'd like to keep sharing.


So thank you, for being on the other end of this tin-can phone. I'll try to pick it up more often.


XO

Shannon

17 comments:

kate said...

Love. Just, love.

Emily said...

What a lovely post. Lavender! Bloggy love.

Cynthia said...

So trivial of me, but I love those hooks & their iron medallions. Are they old? Currently available? They are fab.

PS -- I'm always happy to see your blog in bold on my bloglines.

lizbon said...

I can't decide what's more beautiful - laundry or lavender.

Maybe it's the fact that the word verification bot has just given me something that's barely a vowel away from a filthy little bit of slang.

Dave Hingsburger said...

You know I've been a fan of your writing since you were, what, eight? I was pleased to find your blog and check regularly to see if you have posted something. I'm glad you are here, in blogland, where I don't have to buy a ticket to come visit.

Jo said...

We hope you don't go anywhere anytime soon :)

Valerie said...

Oh...and I would so miss your voice! Please don't vaporize on me.

Lovely photo's in this one, along with the lovely thoughts.

Ames said...

I'll add my dittos. Contentment is priceless.

I love the new banner picture, though.

And, the thought of sitting with you in your backyard while you spin and I knit is a wonderful one. What are you doing late August?

mel said...

XOXO. You, this post. And where you live sounds just about like heaven.

Mary Lou said...

Love the lavender. And the flower girl shot.

Rona said...

This. I LOVE <3

Oh how I look forward to your thoughts.

I feel very blessed to have met you and call you a friend :)

Gwen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rachel said...

I'd miss your writings, your humor, and your so very honest reviews if you abandoned this space.

Funny--I didn't know you were a city girl at heart. Your blog voice has always seemed very content with living a simpler, more rural lifestyle.

Gwen said...

Oh, I just can't get enough of clothesline pictures, they make me so happy. Mmm.

Annalea said...

Thanks so much for writing this, Shan. Fresh back from a visit to the now-very-big-city where my husband grew up (when it wasn't a big city) to visit his family, I've felt the pull of the urban jungle. The proximity of everything; the convenience of wide retail choices; the cultural and educational advantages for my homeschooled children.

And now we're back to our lovely rural community . . . where the air always smells like oxygen and trees and dirt. Where I don't have to worry about my car being broken into in the night. Where I can live quietly, move forward with Vern on building our farmhouse, and teach my children to grow up simply and with a deep appreciation for the world around them.

I guess what I'm saying (very humbly, although it might ring falsely of self-importance) is I couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you. :o)

Sandy said...

There's no place like home. I
'm glad you're here.
Now.

Olson Family said...

Hello. Stopping by to say that I pop in from time to time only to leave enlightened, inspired, refreshed... to go away with a smile on my lips and a desire to live more simply and more fully all at once.

Thank you. For being you. And for sharing you with the rest of us.