This all started with some simple promptings. My office lease was ending and it brought about some questions as to what our future could look like. Working fully remote like so many others could open some doors that we never thought of before. What if we traveled? What if we lived somewhere else? The questions uncovered some deeper desires. What is life like in other parts of this country? Would we like them better? Is Suburbia really what is best for us?
We live in quintessential suburbia. Within 7 minutes of our house, there are 3 grocery stores and 2 Starbucks. Add an additional 3 minutes and you get 2 more Starbucks and 1 more grocery store. We are located pretty centrally to places downtown, around town, as well as out of town. We have an HOA that plans food trucks, a house that has plenty of space, and a backyard that overlooks - you guessed it - wilderness. We are fortunate. With amenities and activities so accessible, it makes life easy. Right? Yes, in some ways. Unfortunately, it also makes life more complex. We don't just go to 1 grocery store, we go to multiple (Alex goes to 3, my limit is 2), for better deals, more variety and - why not - we have to drive right by all 3.
This has been an interesting and slightly depressing realization. We have too many options. Life can't be simple. I could literally go to a restaurant a day within a 40 minute drive and still not get through them all. So much variety - how exciting! But really... doesn't it speak to how small we really are? There are so many places I'll never see. There will always be restaurants I never go to, shows I'll never see. There is a call to do more and the decision to do less is not always easy.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota has already provided a different culture for us and we have only been here for a few hours. We have taken up residence in a modest one floor, two bedroom house with fenced in backyard in a neighborhood walking distance from downtown. We spent our first night walking down the quiet sidewalked streets of the neighborhood. Though this is still a city with a population of 180,000, it has not felt large or overwhelming in size. Many a reason for this was the temperatures out. It reached a high of over 100* today, but the slightly cooler night and seemingly constant breeze allowed us comfortable walking temperatures. A good reason to stretch our legs and get acquainted with the area.
Comments