Beginnings

This begins a new chapter in life.  A chapter in a small place with small town people, lots of sunshine, melons, run down old buildings, and big skies that are clear blue by day and littered with stars at night.  Sometimes, if I'm standing by a tree and a house that actually has a yard (don't get me started on the futility and and wastefulness of maintaining a yard in the desert), it feels like another small town in the Midwest.  But then I see the buttes rising across a wide expanse of dirt and scrubby bushes and I remember otherwise.    

Honestly, despite the desert landscape and other differences, it's amazing how quickly this new place has felt like home. Maybe that doesn't always happen so easily, but I think I've been lucky.  I was talking to someone recently and we compared our experiences moving away, them to a bigger city and me to my 1000-member town.  Ironically, while their life has become more isolated, I have entered into a family of volunteers and community members that nearly ensures I will never feel lonely. It's what I hoped I'd find here, but I'm glad it's turned out to be real.        

I was also determined to have a good attitude about moving halfway across the country, and I suppose the power of positivity should not be underestimated.  I think it allowed me to come to this place with an open heart and open mind, ready to make the most of the experience.  The realist in me says that I'm sure that things will not always be so rosy, but for now, I love this town with all of its quirky people and places.  A friend recently said, "the best movie endings are the kind that surprise you, but you couldn't imagine ending any other way."  And that's kind of how I feel about ending up in Green River for my VISTA year.  

I hope to use this blog to relay bits and pieces of my life and work here.  I'm excited to share these things with you, and I hope, if you're interested, you get an accurate picture of life (or at least one of them) in Green River, Utah.

Note: I might also occasionally post about totally random things, possibly food related.