So last night was Halloween. My husband and I had no plans because things kept changing constantly. One second he was playing a music gig, then he wasn't sure, then he wasn't... so we decided we'd just go out for dinner and relax instead of staying home. Why didn't I give out candy you ask? I tried one year, no one came. By the time we got home it was about 8:30 and my street looked desserted. No lights on, no pumpkins, no halloween ANYTHING. In fact if you walked down my street you'd never even know it was a holiday! And thats how most of the houses in my nearby area were too. There were some clumps where people really got into it, but no where really close to my house. It really made me sad, and reaffirmed my stance that by Spring 2011 I want to move.
I live in a city... not in the heart of it by any means, but its in the city limits... and while I don't live in the worst part of the city its not the greatest either. I don't fear for my life on a daily basis, but its not the kind of place I would really want to raise a family. I guess my standards are pretty high because of where I grew up and my childhood. I lived in a nice suburb area with lots of kids. There were playgrounds all over the place, trees, and creeks to play in. I spent most of my youth playing outdoors in the "woods" (to us they were scary woods!), riding my bikes, and climbing trees. The neighborhood was filled with kids of all ages.On my street there were 3 of us the exact same age, and most of my other friends were within a 10 minute walk. On Halloween the streets were filled with kids trick or treating and all the houses had pumpkins. At Christmas the neighbors exchanged Christmas cookies. We had block parties.
While I can't afford to live where I grew up, I would love to find a place with a similar vibe. An area with families with young children, a backyard where my child can play, near a park or two... I don't want to be where we are now... where my child can't go out the front door alone, where the backyard is so small that its hardly worth playing it. I know for the first year or so this little guy isn't going to care if he has a backyard or not, but once he can start running around I want him to have somewhere he can run! I want to take him out trick or treating at Halloween. I want a neighbor who would come help me if I needed it... not one who I never see and when I do mutters "hello" so quickly you'd think I had done something to him!
I've always wanted to move, but i've never felt the pressure I do now. Time to start fixing the house up I guess.
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