Shopping

We went shopping in Grand Forks the other day....when we go there we make a whole day of it and pretty much buy out the stores...we never make it back  home until late  Of course we have to eat at the Texas Road House because I never had a steak melt  in mouth until I ate there.

I went into to TJ Maxx and I felt a familiar rush of "ahhhh" when I walked through the doors, almost like I was home. A peculiar thing happened though as I shopped...it was like I was coming down from a high.. I began to think about the things that used to make me happy, comparing them to the kinds of things that make me happy now. I used to look sooooo forward to shopping, almost like it was a reward.. now I look at shopping as a necessity. I'm excited about different kinds of things now... about making my home a welcoming place, about tending to a garden and eating the food in it, about spending a day out on the boat reeling in fish, sharing new things with my best friend, laughing with him, making memories with him. Planting flowers, watching the birds in the feeders, seeing wonderment in my grandsons eyes when we spot a critter, hunting has swept me into a frenzy and I feel like I’m a more interesting person than I used to be. My appreciation for nature has wrapped itself around me like I never imagined, I look forward to everyday things so much because everyday brings something new and thrilling. Shopping really has become meaningless to me...almost a chore, did I buy something incrediblly fabulous at TJ Maxx...well duh, where else could you find a red metal woman in the shower???  The thing is though,  I have fallen deeply in love with the wildlife, the green and the laughter that the simple life offers, I feel like I’ve missed out on half a lifetime up here.  Do I miss my old life?  Nope, not for a minute...I miss a few of my girlfriends, but I guess if those relationships are genuine they won't go way.  I get pokes and prods from friends and family back home about being a hick or living up in the boonies, funny how after they visit they always want to come back…a few can’t stay away. They say they like it but they would never want to live here. I’ll tell you why… because they love Wal-mart and they are addicted to convenience. I know…because I used to be them.  I love the people I’ve met, the friends I’m making, the closeness of family...mine and Kevin‘s…and to have all of this and be surrounded by “the boonies” is an awesome blessing.