As my first year in the Midwest rapidly approaches, I have much to reflect on. I have learned so very much, and even though some of the lessons have been painful...literally, I am grateful for each one. Being a city girl for the first half of my life, I had always dreamed of the beauty outside the “Valley of The Sun.” I think I had dreamed of green meadows, flowering hills and woods as far as the eye can see all my life. I wanted the green! I wanted it, perhaps needed it, and definitely craved it. When I visited my best friend in 2013, I lost my heart. I knew I would love the area, (I had Googled it to death, and traveled it by Google Earth before my plane ever landed) but I was not prepared for the area to be everything and more that my childlike heart had longed for.
When I moved here in 2014, my life was going through major changes. Although I was being tested and tried, I knew that I was being taken care of. “When one door closes, another opens.” Oh so true. Even though I felt like my heart was in a million pieces and I knew my world would never be the same, I was given more beauty than I thought possible.
The glorious sound of the wind through the woods, the tinkling of the rushing creek. Not one barn but two on property, and so many more in every direction. Rolling green hills, meadows, fields of wheat, corn, beans and tobacco. A garden that was so eager to grow and flourish. The song of a bazillion birds, the lullaby of the evening frog chorus. The green grass that you don’t have to water, and the wild flowers that grow everywhere (even though the locals call many of them weeds).
The weather has been amazing, the views have been breathtaking. The small towns are just as charming as I had dreamed, the architecture is enough to make me melt. My love for old trucks and tractors has increased a million fold. But I have fallen in love with the Midwest people as well, they are, for the most part, calmer and kinder. (not to mention that yummy accent they all have).
How much I love the lace curtains in my upstairs windows, and the view from every window. The breeze that is always present and makes my deck the perfect place for breakfast and dinner. I love my little country farm house. I have enjoyed the solitude of the country and the feeling of safety. I’ll be honest, I don’t always lock the doors, there is just no need.
Living in the country has filled so many empty and hurt spots in my heart. I am so grateful. I have conquered or survived the first year.
Am I a country girl, maybe not, but as my first year edges closer, I am so happy to be here. I was asked a year ago, if I would move back to Arizona if I found this wasn’t for me, my answer was no then. My answer is no still. My heart is here, I love it here, it’s beautiful, and I am happy.
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