Country Mouse in the City

I didn't suspect that when we moved to our well-researched little town that I would end up having such mixed feelings about living so far outside of a city... but I do.  Don't get me wrong - I love living here and am more than happy to raise our family here on 18 acres of woods, meadows, swamps, and all the wildlife that goes with this place, but I do miss some aspects of city-living.  I miss the convenience of having everything so close that you can pick up dinner at the grocery store on the way home from work.  I miss the ease (and exercise) or walking wherever you need to go in a city.  It just never really dawned on me that Nate and I spent our entire dating lives and then early marriage together living in cities - Seattle and Boston.  I'm just finding it a little frustrating to have to get in the car and drive half an hour to get to a store whenever we need something.  And this feeling is especially exacerbated during the long and cold winter here (currently 7 degrees!!) when every once in awhile I just want a quick change of scenery for an hour or so - but going anywhere entails planning for Myrick's naps and always more than just a couple of hours, always.  It's still challenging right now with Myrick so small and unable to stay outdoors for very long.  She has her snow suit and cold-weather gear, but she's tiny and it's hard for someone who's only two and half feet tall to adeptly navigate 15 inches of snow on the ground.  Outdoor playtime is rather limited during these months.

So to avoid the stir-crazies, we got in the car today and drove an hour to Salem, NH to go and exchange something at the closest mall that had a Williams-Sonoma.  Clearly we don't do this very often, so Myrick hasn't had much exposure to mall-like settings.  She was pretty cute to watch for about the first 15 minutes we were inside.  I held her hand and she ran and squealed and took in with huge eyes all of the lights, sounds, and smells around her.  It's funny to go and do something that seems routine or normal but realize that for Myrick it is completely novel.  It certainly makes me see things though fresh eyes again.  She was the epitomy of a country mouse in the city!  Even so, after tonight's onslaught of stimuli, I think I am thankful that she will grow up with an abundance of fresh air and room to run around and play outside and with less opportunity to spend her time under the glare of neon lights with pounding music beating in the background.  I suppose the inconveniences of living "way out" are worth it in the long run.  With that, I will go, curl up under our warm wool blanket, and enjoy some couch time in front of the wood stove before heading to bed out here in the country.