April 08, 2015

Life in the Village These Days


This month we are celebrating four years in this house and almost 5 years since we moved to the Village. This town and this home. In many ways it feels like we've always been here. We've already made so many memories here. I'm sitting on the porch while I write this, trusty dog at my feet. The birds are singing at the top of their lungs. I hear children playing and there is a storm blowing in. It is my idea of heaven on earth. Life isn't perfect here. Things go wrong, there are disappointments. At the same time, life's challenges are a little easier to take when you get to spend every day living your dream.


There have been many celebrations, much laughter and many tears in this home. You know, the things life is made of. There is no place I would rather be than in this old house with it's never ending to do lists, projects and expenses.


When I sit back and reflect on everything we have accomplished, I am so proud of us. We have more gumption than skill, budget or sense and have a tendency to dive into projects that we should know better than to attempt. You should have heard a recent conversation we had about taking on a bathroom renovation. Oy. We will never learn. And thank goodness! If we did, we wouldn't have this porch or this kitchen, let alone this life and this home. Sometimes you need to ignore the voices whether they come from inside yourself or from people around you.


Ignoring the voices and jumping in has served us well over the last 15 years and making the scary decision to ditch our comfortable suburban life and change everything turned out to be one of the best things we've ever done! I often think about how life would be different if we had played it safe. I am so grateful for a husband that listens to my heart and who is usually on the same page as I am.


The Village comes alive in the spring. The magnolias are starting to bloom and that signals the start of a glorious show. Soon we will be having picnics in this park with friends while music is performed in this gazebo. Soon there will be festivals in the street. Living here feels a lot like being on vacation which is such a treat for a girl like me who grew up never going on vacation! Last night we went to dinner on Main St. with some friends for a wine and appetizer pairing and then dinner. It was a perfect evening. I rarely want to leave the Village to go out. I love that we know the owners of most of the businesses in town. I love that we know most of our neighbors. I love that we live in a place where we can walk to the library, parks, farmers market, butcher, ice cream parlor, wine store, dentist, shops and restaurants.


I'm thankful every day that we didn't let fear keep us from living our dream. Now I remind myself of the beauty that can happen when you push through the fear. What is fear keeping you from doing? What is the worst thing that could happen if you ignored the voices? It's not failure. Failure means you tried. I'd much rather live with failure than regret. When you risk failure you might end up living the very life you have been dreaming about.

23 comments:

  1. I am so very happy for you, Jen. I see life through your eyes when you talk about living in the village. I wish we had followed our heart years ago when our children were younger....then we would all be in a different place....but, as I look at "here", I realize that this is where I am supposed to be, too. xo Diana

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  2. Absolutely wonderful Jen! Go for your dreams and have no regrets. : )

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  3. Your town sounds wonderful....sort of Mayberry...how dreamy to live in a place like that. Good for you to follow your hear....

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  4. I am so so happy for you friend! Our dreams where diffrent but so much the same. Contentment and home. Love!

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  5. Sounds like the absolutely perfect place for you and your family! Love this post!

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  6. I love this post and I'm so happy everything worked out so well for you and your family. Thank you also for the push in the right direction - you're so right, it's time to ignore the voices and do what I feel is right.

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  7. What a wonderful post. You Village sounds like an amazing place to live.

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  8. Your story always gives me courage to step out of me comfort zone my friend!

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  9. So beautiful and lovely to see you living your dream, your village life sounds heavenly and much deserved. Happy spring to you :)

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  10. your kitchen looks like the perfect place to bake some cakes and add some pretty icing and sprinkles

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  11. I like where you wrote, " I'd much rather live with failure than regret." I'm going to think on that one.Thank you (I visited via My Heartstring blog)

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  12. Your so good with words, I too love what wrote "I'd much rather live with failure than regret" It sounds like a lovely life you have. No life is perfect, but living the kind of life you do sounds pretty darn wonderful! We moved away from our hometown 10 years ago, it was really scary, so hard to leave a place where you have lived your entire life, where you know the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker. For the first few years in our new town we felt a little out of place, but people were so friendly and now we feel like we have always lived here and I can't imagine being anywhere else. Leelanau County, Michigan is one of the most beautiful places on earth and I am so glad we were brave enough to leave our comfort zone. xo, Teri

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  13. forgive me for not checking my spelling and wording before publishing my post!

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  14. I want to live in your town...

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  15. Home is the best, isn't it? And you have filled yours with love, life and beauty. I can see why you love being there. Enjoy it forever!

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  16. I can't believe you've been there that long! Seems like it was just yesterday you moved to your village.
    Brenda

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  17. Visiting from Brenda's. Lovely shots, all, but my favorite is the next to the last one. Just lovely!! :)

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  18. Visiting from Brenda's. Lovely shots, all, but my favorite is the next to the last one. Just lovely!! :)

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  19. Wonderful blog. I stopped by and fell in love with your pink magnolia tree. Om Goodness how nice. I so enjoyed reading about your Easter and how you love being at home working on things and how you are reflecting on not playing it safe. I enjoy the simple things in life. I am still trying to grow my blog so stop by and grow and join me. I am one of your newest followers..
    Hugs,
    Cindy

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  20. (((Jen)))
    Oh how the days can fly by YET when they are so very savored and when we are living where our soul is meant to live in a way they don't feel like they are flying by as they are so completely embraced! Probably doesn't make sense yet I somehow know you understand. :)

    I am so proud of you and happy for you and hope you make many more memories of life in your precious home sweet home.

    Love to you,
    Kim

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  21. I stopped blogging right when you bought this house and sometimes it seems like yesterday and in other ways it feels eons ago. Our lives have changed so much! I'm so very happy for you, Jen :)

    xo
    rue

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  22. gumption anyday! taste & style never needs a big budget! you have feathered your little nest with all of this, plus laughter, some tears, imagination,determination, turquoise blue magic & a lot of love. and it just shines with it!

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