The Aesthetics of a Hometown

Growing up in a super small town with little entertainment and lots of time on my hands, I never thought I'd actually desire to live here as an adult...or even in the state for that matter.  But, as time has passed and my perspective has changed, I've quickly learned the value of waking up each morning and having the gift of looking out the window at the surrounding hills and what they carry into the early morning hours from the night that has passed.  The neighborhood that I grew up in is one of the prime spots to get a bird's eye view of the hills and valley, so it's made it quite difficult to live elsewhere, abandoning such amazing sights.  I'm positive I never considered this as a child or teen, so it's funny to me now that it means so much.  I've, on two occasions, left the region for educational and professional opportunities, but it's simply the aesthetics and accompanying peace that always brings me back.

The quiet and still of the mornings always beckon such a feeling of well being and balance.  Whether it's beautiful sunshine bathing the hilltops or solemn raindrops, quenching the earth's thirst, the morning is a time of appreciation and contentment.

The nighttime is not much different, except it will oftentimes offer dazzling colors or gentle patterns of twinkling stars.  The beauty of the sky and surroundings almost always causes the melodies of the highway to fade into the background or disappear.  So, whether from the busy East Coast, laid back West Coast, chill Midwest or various other geographies of the States, I would recommend the next time you're "home," you find a moment to fall madly in love with your surroundings.  In the busy world that is ours, I have found this to be one of the few ways to briefly make time stop and immerse myself in the stillness that is ours as well.

From Black Friday to Cyber Monday

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It's that time of year again...the holiday season.  Within a blink of an eye, the iconic turkey day has already passed.  And after a mere four weeks of time, Christmas will have done the same.  As I've settled into adulthood, I can't help but feel that the "fast forward-ness" of life only becomes more so around this time of year.  I oftentimes wonder if it was always this way for past generations as well.  When there weren't families of iGear to keep us distracted and countless opportunities to abandon quality time in the name of huge holiday savings, did the time fly quite as quickly?  I think this is worth investigating.

We humans are so good at creating debates of all kinds.  So, with this year's holiday season came the debate about whether it's reasonable for retailers to open on Thanksgiving night to start the crazed gift buying process.  I am of the mind in most cases that we all deserve the right to decide for ourselves what works and what doesn't, always with some thought about those around us.  However, I struggle with this one a bit because it seems to fit into the larger trends of consumerism and materialism, which seem to always only weaken the somewhat antiquated tradition of family and quality time.  The temptation to run out and catch the amazing sales seems even more of an issue now that the economy has tanked and decided to laze in the hammock named ebb for a time.  Even those with the best intentions of keeping company with friends and family, watching the holiday football offerings, eating leftovers, taking walks, etc., can hardly pass up an offer to reward those same loved ones with the fruits of Black Friday.  And then, just in case we happen to miss anything in our supermarket sweep on Black Friday, we thankfully have Cyber Monday to make up for our mistakes.

Perhaps it's too idealistic or old-fashioned to think this way, but what if we invested all of this time we put into Black Friday, Cyber Monday, the perfect gift, the perfect decorations, etc., into coming up with the best way to spend the holiday season with our families and friends?  Plan a game night or two, plan a special dinner where everyone can pitch in and have fun doing so, find some time to just be with those around us instead of desperately searching for the perfect gifts?  It's amazing what a little time together can do, so take an evening or two this holiday season and try it out!