These past few days I’ve been really uncomfortable (the
story of my life these days!). But at
the same time I’ve been thinking about how happy I am that we live here in the
Quad Cities. Not just because my family
and friends are here, or because I grew up here, but because this size area is
“just right” for me…not too big, not too small, “just right”.
 |
| my beloved Sevilla |
I’ve always loved big cities, and to be honest if I didn’t
have kids I think I would probably live in one.
During college I lived in Seville, Spain for a semester—population . (and during Semana Santa, or Holy Week,
the population grows temporarily to
people!) I loved living there,
and I’ve loved every big city in our country that I have ever visited. One of my best friends lives in Chicago, and
when I go to visit her I can imagine myself living there. But, then I think about city life with two
(almost three) kids under 4 years old…and I know it’s just not for me. Not right now!
 |
| Good ol' Wilton Iowa |
On the other end of the spectrum, small towns…there are
definitely plenty of those in Iowa! As
I’ve mentioned before, we lived in Wilton, Iowa (population ) for just under 2 years. The people of Wilton were great, and there
were some things I really liked about living there. It was quiet, and we had lots of long, long
walks there while I prepared for the birth of my first son. However, going through my first pregnancy in
a town where every place with food closes before the sun goes down and the
cheapest carton of ice cream is about $8 (no joke!), I realized that small town
life is not for me. I like to go to Walgreens at 10pm (or later),
just because.
And so, my ‘Goldilocks moment’. The Quad Cities are not too big, not too
small…for me (and my family), it’s perfect here. No traffic jams, no tourists running
around. And, there’s more than one
restaurant and about a thousand places to get ice cream. This week, as I’m dealing with the last month
of pregnancy, temperatures above 100 degrees every day, and lugging around my
two boys, I am so thankful for this community.
I’m thankful that I can drive from my house to any number of my family
members’ homes without a bit of traffic.
I’m thankful that when I’m craving a Crunch bar, I can drive to Kwik
Shop in a matter of minutes. This town
is just the right fit for me…and I hope I remember to not take it for
granted. Let’s try to remember the
reasons we love where we live (no matter where
you live!) and be thankful for that on a daily basis...keep looking for "the good" in your community!
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