OK, the last post was a bit facetious, but you have to take the half-full glass when you find it.
Other good things about living here:
1. Choice. I'm surrounded, bombarded, by choice, and until you haven't had any, you take it for granted. I'm five minutes from a destination mall. Three, and soon four, major grocery stores within five minutes of me. I haven't had to drive to Dallas or Ft. Worth for something in years, it's all out here. There is a dark underbelly to choice, but we're not focusing on that, are we?
2. A spot on the North Shore bike trail where you can sit by a creek and not hear anything but the birds. You're only a few dozen yards from neighborhoods, but it doesn't seem like it. Let's just toss in Lake Grapevine as well; I've lived near it for 18 years now and have always appreciated the trails and parks around.
3. I'm 30 minutes from two major cities where I can go to zoos, museums, historical sites, etc. There's more to do here than you can ever get to, although I've certainly spent the last seven years of homeschooling trying my best. As we enter the home stretch of high school and the homeschool hiatus of the fifth grader, I can rest assured that at least I have burned my kids out on museums.
4. The people. Yeah, I know, we're all materialistic and self-centered. Yet I keep running into people of depth who care greatly about those around them, who want to make a difference, who will drop everything to help someone else. I know my neighbors; we stand outside and talk and watch the kids play and bad-mouth the HOA. My kids have benefitted from numerous volunteers over the years who have taught them science and art and the Bible and led Girl Scout troops and coached sports teams. The good people are all around; you just have to open your eyes.
5. The weather. I know that sounds crazy right now, but I do appreciate living where I don't have to shovel snow, where the wind doesn't come whistling down the plain, where all you have to worry about is the occasional tornado. Summer in Texas is brutal, but so is winter in Minnesota, and I prefer the heat. And it's worth it for that first fall day when a cool breeze wafts in and reminds you that the heat isn't forever.
5 comments:
Thanks for your positive take on suburbia! A lot of folks have something of a "suburbia is evil" mindset, as if it would be better for us to abandon suburbia entirely. Best, I think, to see suburbia as a mixed bag of good and bad (like everywhere) and to find ways to live intentionally, appreciating the benefits and working to redeem the negatives.
The one time I visited Dallas (for a trade show in the summer of '98), it was 115 degrees. And I grew up in Minnesota, so I know all about frigid Minnesota winters! I now live in Chicago, which gets both extremes. But the variety is nice.
It's a constant challenge to live intentionally, not to let the rush of everyday life sap you of your energy. A friend recommended The Sacrament of the Present Moment and although it is a wonderful book, the title alone gives me enough to think about.
As a resident of the suburbs, I don't think it's so bad...although my cousins from the "country" parts of TX, (and that's about 80 minutes from DFW) are sure it's the devil!
I love Dallas...the libraries, the museums, everything about it.
There's a site where they have knitted dishcloth exchange.
I think the site is: http://dishclothswap.blogspot.com/
Just in case you're interested
Amen! I love the MidCities!! I will say that I try my hardest not to drive in Dallas county! LoL
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