In my first post, I said I would post the letter I wrote to my mom to explain, but now that I have lived here for a few months, I think it all comes down to soap.
To understand why we moved here, I need to explain where we were. Herndon, VA is about 15 miles south of Washington DC. Its filled to bursting with people of every nationality and socio-economic background. People on foodstamps in line behind millionaires. You could hear the sounds of other countries on every street corner. The museums, theaters, stadiums, city-life was just 30 minutes away without traffic.
It was also congested, overcrowded, transient and most importantly everyone is disconnected from each other. No one has any real obligation to behave civilly because you are not likely to run into the same person twice. You never really know your neighbors or even your children's teachers because they move so quickly. Well, no one really moves quickly in northern Virginia because the traffic was horrendous. For example, to get the distance from Rudy's to Walmart, what 3 miles, it could take you 20-25 minutes. Now traffic in itself isnt really the issue. Its the disconnect. When you feel no social obligations, you stop thinking about that person in the car next to you as a human with a family and feelings. They just become an object of irritation and this carries over once you are home or at work or at the shops. People just in your way! No thought for someone else's feelings let alone safety.
So after living in the same townhouse for 3 years, during which my daughter started school and almost NEVER played outside (you just dont know who could be around and no one else does either), we were ready for a change. Our third child had just enlisted in the Air Force and we were soon to be with a nest too large and too expensive to maintain. We started looking farther out from the city and then the emails and calls started.
N8 has been looking for a job here in central illinois for a long time. But in his field there just wasnt anything that paid well enough for us to move back here. But suddenly, there were job offers all over the place. Now not to brag, but he never will, he is something of a guru in his field and this field is new and no one knows what they are doing with it. So now, he is in demand and we had offers from all kinds of places: Seattle, Ireland, NYC, New England, Chicago, all over the west coast and Hawaii. But we knew that no matter where we moved, we werent going to find what we could have here. So nervously, we took the plunge.
Here is my outsiders point of view on this town I now call home. Small and quaint (sure we could use a little paint here and there), close knit (its like 6 degrees to Burkholder around this town), with strong tradition and community ties. The city amenities are 30 minutes away. No big deal for someone used to sitting in traffic that long to get to the grocery store. But the community...that's what drew me.
I've lived in Illinois before. I know and understand the midwest mentality about new people. Midwesterners are truly interesting people. Slow to warm up, straight shooters, strong opinions but loyal and compassionate too. This community is no different. I knew I was going to have to reach out to make new friends and I knew it was going to take time to find my place. I still am. But I knew that place was there and that eventually, I am going to be a part of the fabric just like each person in this town is. Good or bad. We are just like the patchwork fields surrounding us, each a part of a much bigger picture we can't see until we stand back. But every piece has something to offer and all are connected somehow.
I dont pretend to wear rose tinted glasses. This town, just like each community in the whole world, has its issues. But I know, at any given point in time, someone is working to make them better. Someone is worried about that neighbor next door, their cousin across town, their church member who is ill, the kids who dont have enough to eat, the elderly, the sick, but never forgotton. No one goes unnoticed in this town. No one lives in a bubble. No one is alone.
So now you know why we moved here. Here is why I am glad I did.
As a parent, I want my youngest to learn the lessons you can only learn in a small town. To respect others (because they are people too and you are going to run into them again, repeatedly), to respect nature (we have it in abundance here with the lakes and farms), to cherish freedom and not be afraid of other people. To feel safe in her home and community and to give back to it.
Its also a personal opportunity for me. I started a soap business in Virginia and sadly my business partner and I are no longer close enough phsycially to work together. But moving here gives me one big opportunity that we didnt have in Virginia. To open my own shop. Its a work in progress. It will not be a financial dynasty. That's not my goal. My goal is to do something I love that hopefully benefits other people too. I could, and have made favors for cocktail parties at the Ritz. I could sell them for tons more than it costs me to make them. But I want to see kids in town rush home from parties with something unique and useful. For people to have a personalized momento from their anniversary or wedding. For a new baby to be celebrated in a creative fashion. And I want it all affordable for my community. Making soap really sums up why I love living here. It allows me to do the two things that make me happiest : to be creative and do something useful.
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