Guest Post: Shifting to a Slower Gear

I’d like to introduce you to a new friend of mine Nedra from AdventureMomBlog.com.  She recently moved from a city to a town and here’s her story.

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We just moved to Evansville, Indiana from Grand Rapids, Michigan a few weeks ago. It’s been a bit of an adjustment.  I’m the type of person who likes to be doing something interesting all the time. If my schedule is full of fun, random activities, I’m a happy gal.

underwater hockey

While living in the Grand Rapids area, I found so many unique things to do and try. I tried the luge, curling, underwater hockey, moms ice hockey, fly fishing, paddle boarding, roller derby, fencing and enjoyed lots of unique free festivals like (the “Outhouse 500″- where people raced outhouses and “Site:Lab at Blandford Nature Center”- which was a combination of art meeting nature) ….just to name a few.  I love checking out random and free events/activities whenever possible.

I enjoy options, which has been the hardest thing I’ve noticed about moving to a smaller city.  The options go WAY down.  It’s like having a ten speed bike and switching to a bike with only one gear. I have no idea what all of the gears and bonus gears do, but I like knowing that the option is there if I wanted it.

I like to research all of my possible options for the weekend and then cram in as many as possible to the dismay of my husband.  Just like the turtle man, I want “live action.”  If there is a place to be, I want to be there.  I want to find out why it’s the place to be.  Unfortunately my options are drastically down compared to living in a larger city, but I’m not trying to discredit that there are things to do here too.

So far I’ve found a drive in and a few places to run. We’ve enjoyed taking walks near the University that is a few block from our house.  We’ve been to a community fundraiser for Gilda’s Club that featured 100 men in the community showcasing samples of their best dish. That event brought together the heart and soul of the community to get behind a cause to make families and friends affected by cancer have a support system. It was also beautiful because I appreciate any meal I didn’t have to cook.  I appreciate even more getting to sample meals of foods that I’m not talented enough to even dream of cooking up.

On a recent trip to find the famous bbq in our region, we found the world’s largest sassafrass tree thanks to my roadside america app. You don’t discover unique finds like that if you have a lot of options.

What you look for you will find.

If you look for the negative, you will easily find it. The challenge is to dig deep and unearth the treasure. If I look and seek out to find cool places and amazing people, I’m bound to find some.  I just might have to take a longer drive to reach them.

People and places are interesting.  Stay curious.

On a recent trip to get gelato, I met a worker who is also a master gardener. He passed along my business card so that I can learn how gelato is made.  He also shared with me how I can learn more about gardening because I told him I’m clueless in that area.

My curiosity has introduced me to subcultures of amazing people with interesting hobbies.  I probably would not have had an interaction with them without the interest of learning more about their passion.

I’ve learned that the way people do things differently can be IRRITATING!

The remainder of my summer has been spent near the Ohio River vs. a beach.  The pools closed mid week when school started a few weeks ago. I don’t understand why community pools close when it ‘s still summer and 90+ degrees outside.

I’ll admit that it makes me very irritated when I drive by an empty pool on a hot day mid week.  It feels like they are taunting me with refreshing water that I can’t swim in.  Warm people, who aren’t in school, would still enjoy swimming.  I just have to rant that I don’t get it.  I’m sure there will be other things to add to the list over time but it comes with the territory.

Parts of town matter to those who never leave them.

When you’re an outsider you don’t really care what side of town someone grew up in.  The stereotypes of areas tend to be exaggerated and are usually extreme.  There are amazing people ……and people you wouldn’t want to babysit or influence your kids on BOTH sides of the tracks.

Again, what you look for you will find.

Resources have been a bit harder to find.

Sometimes a really connected person in your community can be a bigger resource than the internet.

I miss people and places.  The transition period is always so rough in the beginning.  We did find a church we like. We’ve attended it the last two weeks. It’s funny how different walking into a room of strangers feels vs. walking into an extension of your community.  It’s the difference between a hug and a handshake.

At our core we all desire the same things in life.  To be loved and to love, to find and grow in community and to discover and fulfill our purpose.

Those things take time.  They take patience.  I want everything fast and furious…yesterday.  I want to be settled, have community, and have activities that we can enjoy and look forward to.

Happy isn’t a destination, it’s a state of mind.

I know that being in a state of contentment starts at the top, in my mind.  The battle over what was, what isn’t and what could have been.  I don’t want to keep looking in the rear view mirror, not enjoying the present.  I don’t want to make myself crazy with all of the “what could have been’” scenarios.   Life is a journey with all kinds of ups and downs and life lessons that make the bitter…sweet.

I’m committing to try to make the most of things once again and believe that my better days are yet to come and try to enjoy the ride.  Just gotta change the gears.

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Now that you you’ve gotten to know Nedra please take some time to visit her blog: www.adventuremomblog.com

What have you learned after a big move?