Let’s Live Local

It’s been pretty cold up here. We’ve had light snow on and off in the last week or so. It’s just enough to cover the ground, but it hasn’t melted as it’s been staying in low 30s for the most part. I love it when it gets cold and snowy as everything becomes so still and quiet.

The truth be told, though, downside of living here full time while I still have my life in the city is the fact that the weather affects the road condition, which dictates my driving schedule in the winter. I don’t want to risk coming home in the dark when the road can be icy. I don’t want to be stuck on Interstate 5 where no other route to get home is available. Plus I have to make sure I have enough charge to get home on my EV. So this requires me to be very strategic in making my plans to be in the city.

This is the third winter living in the mountains. While I do really love being in the forest all the time, I am often reminded that I have been an urban dweller pretty much my entire life. Everything I love about living here can also be inconvenience for city slickers. We don’t have any major brand stores, not even a Starbucks. There’s no traffic light. I was so used to being able to get to any store if I needed something, go to movies or meet up with friends last minutes. But from here the closest Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods are an hour away. So is a hospital.

While I’m grateful that so far I get to have the both worlds as I’m well enough to be traveling back and forth, I’m beginning to deeply appreciate the idea of “living local.” I love that this community is like a microcosm of the world at large, but there’s a distinct sense of people watching out for each other, helping when needed, and supporting each other, especially when it comes to local business.

It’s easier to see how important it is to support local economy in a small town, but I do see even in the city there is a movement to do as much locally as possible. Buy and consume locally produced or manufactured products. After all, it’s about being mindful of our daily actions and the impact thereof, which is not easy, I admit. Yet I do believe it is a necessary step towards a regenerative future we can help create.