Write down
the first words that comes to mind when we say . . . home. . . soil. . . rain.
Use those words in the title of your post.
One of the first things I bought upon
moving to the NW United States was a pair of good shoes for slogging around in
the wet weather when visiting all the beautiful forest and mountains WA is well
known for. My husband and others I know
from the NW wondered how I would do moving from a warm, tropical island to a
state famous for its cloudy days, wet weather, and cooler temperatures. When
first visiting my husband’s family in OR, I was so surprised at how much the
temperature dropped in the July evenings and how cold it could feel in the
early morning, then warm up to “just right” later in the day. I was also surprised at how green everything
was, even when visiting in February one year.
Despite living in nothing but
humid, 85 degree weather year round for well over a decade, these seasonal
changes did not bother me when I considered moving back to the U.S. In fact,
now that I am here, I am (so far) really enjoying the fall, winter, and spring
and welcoming the variety. All I experienced was summer for 17 years…believe it
or not, it can get old after awhile.
I love to read Facebook posts of people
wishing it was summer. Maybe I will get to that point after 17 years of
seasons, including cold weather, but for now, I am finding joy and contentment
in all the wonderful differences between a tropical lifestyle and a NW
one. Just like this morning when I
opened up the sliding door onto my back patio just to feel the cold air and
take in the atmosphere of the day. It was drizzling, and the rain mixed with
the cold and the wetland behind our house brought in this fabulous earthy smell
that I love. It’s a smell I never realized I missed, but if and when we ever
leave the NW and move onto to adventures elsewhere, that smell will be one of
the things I will remember most about what it was like to live here, just like
I’ll never forget the balmy heat that wrapped itself around my face the day I
stepped off the plane and into my life in the Marshall Islands.
“But
godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into
the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” 1 Timothy 6:6-7
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