Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Where I live = who I am?

I live in a small town along the Western shore of the Chesapeake Bay (population about 2,000). Every morning, or any time, I walk to the end of my driveway, I can turn to my left, and there she is, just a few blocks away, the might Bay. The town has a post office, a (wonderful) candy store, a coffee/bakery shop, a few antique stores, an art co-op, a couple of places to eat, and a few other businesses. I don't always lock my doors (I also have two good-sized dogs) and last winter when Maryland got hit with 2' of snow, my neighbors helped me shovel out the driveway. It's not heaven, but it'll do.
I love living where I do, but I suspect I like as much (or maybe more) saying where I live.
So my question is: how much does where we live define us? Or does it at all?
Let me know what you think, ok?
Happy days!

5 comments:

  1. I think where we were brought up defines us the most! Where we live later in life is perhaps a product of where we grew up. I guess it only defines us if you compare where we live with how we react to where we live. I guess in a perfect world we would work out who we were, and then we would move to the best place for us. But life is full of compromise!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Like MMM I think where you grew up has more to do with it than where you live... I know where i live (in Montreal, in the city) has everything to do with growing up in the suburbs. I just needed to get the hell away from there and never return.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Leanne & Jazz.
    I grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, but my Mom always wanted to live by the water. I think I may have heard that so often I wanted to also. But...there is something so beautiful about seeing such a huge body of water each day. And I love taking the grandchildren there all year round. If I lived in the suburbs we wouldn't be able to throw snowballs in the Bay. Ramble on, Joanie.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Can i just say Joanie, I am officially jealous of where you live! ;0)
    Your town sounds idyllic and to be able to mooch off up the road to the bay...sigh...I'm hoping to visit one day and you can show me the sights and the sweetshop!!

    The area we live in sports 12 takeaway restaurants and 5 pubs on the same stretch of road...(not a good combination on a Fri/Sat night!) a main road tearing along outside and an industrial estate...I hope this doesnt define me and hope to move soon!! x;0)

    Big loves to you Joanie!
    xxxxxxxxxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  5. hmmm.... Let see, I grew up in a small town of 3,000 people in North Dakota, just 16 miles south of the Canadian border. Very flat and sheltered life, but tough, after all we survived the bitter cold winters. I now live in SE Ohio, very rural small town even tinier! I have traveled the world though, have lived in 3 different countries, visited all 50 states and 19 countries, so no longer sheltered, but back to smaller than I started from.
    I get antsy to put wheels on the house and ready to move! lol Would love to be near the water, and I don't mean this little creek out back, but home is where you hang your hat.

    ReplyDelete