Proust #21 Where would you most like to live?
Finally! I’ve been waiting for something simple and this is a great one today because as Judy said this morning as she was making out hotel coffee “You know what I smell? Disappointment.” She was right, the coffee is still crap. On the up side, we found a Tim Hortons nearby, so at least we managed to get one cup that was not awful.
So enough whining about the coffee, where would I like to live? Honestly, I need to win the LottoMax here because I’ll need more than one home. Pretty much a different home for every season. ?
Winters would need to be spent in our house in Maui. If you’ve never been, especially in January, it’s a piece of heaven. The temperature is perfect, the beaches are endless, the people are wonderful, and the food is terrific, especially the coffee in Paia. Whales in the bays, roadside fruit stands, did I mention the perfect temperature?
I should mention that there will need to be a sizeable guest house? Visitors are welcome.
Summers can be divided between our house on the coast somewhere and our home in the Peace. I need to be somewhere that I can hear Phil shout those two most exciting words, “Fish on!” I love where we live in the summer, it’s beautiful really. But I do love the sound of the ocean, the smell of salt waves and the lush greenery of the coast.
Once the leaves have gone at home and the smell of fall (probably my favourite part of the season) has faded, you would find us in our English home, a modest country house near a village would be alright. I crave the culture, the cathedrals, the closeness of it all. I love the little village shops, the art, the artisan foods…it’s all just so lovely.
And all that is left is a home for spring, where do I go in spring? The Okanagan is nice with its orchards in bloom. Anywhere that doesn’t have gumbo mud that requires gumboots. Gumboots are awful, worst kind of footwear *yuck*.
When I imagine these scenes though, I’m never alone. I couldn’t enjoy it the same way if I were alone, so like I said, it would need to be a LottoMax moment. I’d need time with my kids and my little people, my family, my friends. And having people visit you is lovely but not quite the same as having the neighbour drop by for tea.
There is something really wonderful about having a home. That place where you are most comfortable, where you know and appreciate your neighbours, and where you feel safe and content.
We moved to our neighbourhood 15 years ago, and yes, it’s a fair distance from town, it would be nice to be a bit closer to town sometimes, but what a blessing that neighbourhood has been to us. We have wonderful neighbours who have become friends. That kind of feeling and those relationships only happen when you become part of your community, when you involve yourself, and when you take the time to get to know the people around you. It likely wouldn’t happen if my LottoMax homes ever became reality. It’s hard to become part of something if you are never there long enough to get to know people. Community isn’t something that happens by accident, it takes effort but it’s worth it. I know when winter is at it’s most oppressive, there is something marvellous about bundling up and slipping across the road for a glass of wine and a conversation or a game, while the wood fire crackles in the background.
Maybe I don’t need a different home after all, just a few more vacation days ?
