Apartment Living

So, for those of you who may not know, I got an apartment back in February. Yep...I'm finally living on my own. The are some definite pros to having my own space...for example, having my own space! But it also comes with it's share of cons.

When I walk out of my apartment in the morning, I'm no longer welcomed by soft green grass beneath my feet & a view of the open corn field...instead, my view consists of hard pavement & a vacant store. To the left, I no longer see the lane leading up to my Grandma's & the fields and meadows with horses & cows wandering aimlessly. Now, to my left is a great view of the Barber Shop & Pugly's Mug (a pub). To my right, I can no longer see the sunrise and view out across my neighbor's open field. Instead, my view is of a feed mill & the railroad tracks.

Now don't get me wrong, I love the idea of having my own space, having peace and quiet when I need it, having small town roads that I can actually go out & run or bike ride on without the fear of being hit, and so many other things...I just forgot how much I missed being out in the country.

Today I spent nearly all of my late morning and afternoon at my parent's house (which is conveniently 5 minutes away). I loved every minute of it...walking up the lane & out in the meadow, working with my mom in the garden, reading my book (Blue Like Jazz) out on the deck in the hot sun...really hot!

I miss those nights at home where I could just walk up the lane & sit out on the swingset under the stars watching the fireflies across the field, feeling the cool evening breeze on my face, and simply enjoying the silence & simplicity of it all. There's something about silence & simplicity that makes me feel so much more connected to my Creator.

It's so easy for me to get cooped up in my apartment & just resort to watching movies or reality tv instead of turning it all of & just enjoying God in the silence. It doesn't really matter where you live, people always manage to make life so busy & hectic & loud that there's no time & no possible way to just connect with & hear from God.

Silence isn't bad & simplicity isn't boring. Try it out...you might just find that you like it!