The Current State
After moving in October, I had a friend ask me “So, do you do anything besides hiking and taking pictures of your pets?” And the answer would be a resounding no. That’s sort of where life is at right now. I fill my days with work, rest (hello, reading list), and playing outside. Oh, and an obnoxious amount of animal photos. Plus, this winter I’ve gotten into dehydrating fruit. If that isn’t a sure sign that life is simple, I don’t know what is. I mean, who am I, the Pioneer Woman? ¯\_(?)_/¯
Things for me feel extremely simple (also, slow) right now, and it’s a season that I’m learning to savor. Minus a few days spent in Charleston, South Carolina (ok that city knows how to do a porch, am I right?!), I’ve been staying pretty local, which has allowed me to really settle into life and routines. I have yet to get cabin fever in this little small town but ask me again in another month or two and I may have a different answer for you. The trip to South Carolina really broke up my normal everyday routine and made it exciting for a few days. One of my friends said that when I inevitably get bored in this area, I should consider looking for some new homes in Bluffton, South Carolina. I did seem to really enjoy it there, maybe that’s something to think about in the future.
Summer to Fall, Fall to Winter
One of my favorite things about the past few months has been watching the seasons change. To see the sun begin to dip down behind mountains earlier and earlier until suddenly daylight ends at 4:00pm. The ways in which all of the yellow leaves in autumn unhinge themselves from the trees – slowly – until one day you realize they’re all gone, replaced by snow and ice. There’s something comforting about seeing the transition from summer to fall, and fall to winter, as it seems to echo transitions in my own life this year. What a perfect reminder that change is natural. It is constant and imperfect and necessary, yet never lasts too long that the difficult parts of it can’t be survived.
Final Thoughts
It’s funny how much your daily rhythms are a reflection of the place you live. I see this more clearly when I pull together my recent Instagram photos for posts like this, surprisingly enough. Oh, how differently my time is spent now, in this little outdoorsy town in Washington, than it was when I lived in Southern California. Let me know what you all have been up to! What’s on your grid lately?