Sometimes I look at the life we have built, and I think, "What?!" It hardly seems real, but I know it is and I know that as time goes on it will feel ever more real and centered.
In late November of 2024, we moved to our new-to-us (aka very vintage) home in Stevenson, Washington. With a population of roughly 1,600 people, it is a very small town that is fairly walkable and has all the essentials. We are LOVING it. Since being here, I have found a great spot to take Ziggy for fetch sessions; we regularly walk downtown and do a loop through the town to stretch our legs; we have lovely neighbors who are very excited to have us here; and we are slowly getting involved in local community events as we settle in.
Like all small rural towns, there are some bad things with the good - groceries and restaurants tend to be spendier and close early, there is no hospital to speak of or integrated recycling; but we also have a great hardware store that has been a joy to work with, people are friendly, and there is little traffic to speak of (I know, wait til tourist season for that.)
While this isn't the town that we were even considering moving to, the Universe works in mysterious ways and I dare say this is exactly where we were meant to end up. We are finally in a place where we can have friends come visit and grab a meal or wander around and explore. I cannot wait until the dry season when we can spend more time outside hiking, paddleboarding, and of course tackling endless yard work.
Do you live in a small town? If not, which small town would you move to if you could?