"Tuesday Recap"

Today's Weather: Rain. All day.

I, however, spent most of the day indoors drawing (I'm in the midst of another round of custom portraits), but by evening, I went for a walk to take care of a few errands. It's a little sad knowing that before long, these warmer autumn temperatures (50-60 degrees) will turn cold, and it will be snow falling, not rain. Don't get me wrong, I love the beauty of a fresh snowfall, but if I had to choose, I'd probably take the warm rain anyday.

Despite the rain, though, I did find my walk to be rather enjoyable. I had a package to mail at the post office, and then, after that, I decided to walk across town (my nearby "small town" Milwaukee suburb) to one of two local grocery stores. As I walked along the downtown main street shortly after dusk, I started to see all the brightly-lit Christmas displays. Lamp posts were decorated with Christmas wreaths and holiday banners, a massive Christmas tree (fully lit) stood regally in front of town hall, and occassionally, I heard one of the local church bell towers playing Christmas carols.

It was only 6:00pm or so, downtown was still very much awake with traffic and pedestrians. But it was a pleasant reminder to me that I really should get out and visit this part of town more often. Usually, when I'm on foot, I only go as far as the post office. I rarely have time to meander down the rest of main street.

See, this is one of the things I love so much about where I live. Technically I still reside within the Milwaukee city limits, although I am 40 minutes away (by bus) from the major metropolitan downtown. On the contrary, however, I am within walking distance of two of the oldest "small town" Milwaukee suburbs -- both of which still have distinctive downtown main streets of their own.

When I was younger, I spent the greater part of my childhood growing up in the country. I came to love the small town environment. My dad preached at a small Lutheran church, I spent my days playing in the massive yard next door, and going to town meant visiting the shops on main street half a mile up the road. When my family moved to Minneapolis, I came to appreciate the finer things of living in the big city. And now, years later, I live in both places... a big city, AND two small towns. It really doesn't get any better than this!

Milwaukee (and it's surrounding suburbs) is a city that prides itself on it's history. And it has a very vibrant and culturally significant history at that. When I lived in Minneapolis, I didn't quite really feel the same way. Up there, it's a very modern city. Very progressive, very future-driven. Here in Milwaukee... well, let's put it this way, for a while (back in the early 1800's) we were the "Chicago of the Midwest" -- very ethnically-diverse, traditional, a major manufacuring center growing at an astonishing rate, and yes, much larger than Chicago!

Obviously, in the past 100 years, Chicago has outstriped Milwaukee in size -- due mostly to geographic location. But despite that, my home city remains just as culturally diverse as it used to be. And I can't really imagine myself living anywhere else and loving it as much as I do here. I live in a great neighborhood, but not a crowded one. I live within walking distance of nearly everything I need, yet it's not a heavily commercialized area. And I live in the big city, but yet also in a small town. It's the best of both worlds.... and it makes a rainy day walk like today, one of the most enjoyable I've had.

Life is good when you stop to enjoy it. It really is. But you have to make the time. There are always new places to go just beyond your doorstep, new things to learn and discover beyond your street, and an endless array of history just a few blocks away. But you'll never be able to appreciate them from your living room couch. Get out there and enjoy your surroundings. Appreciate where you live. And don't be afraid to explore it in the process.

Have a wonderful evening all, and until next time,

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:48 PM  I   I  0 comments