I’m a Little Bit Country

our typical early morning beach walk view

As much as I feel like I’m a city girl through and through, and even though we will most likely always live in a big city because of the nature of Ryan’s work, I’m definitely a little bit country too. I’m not sure if what I grew up with would be categorized as the country, but I was always surrounded by many acres of untouched land and nature. So in a sense I grew up in the country, and that has definitely always stayed with me.

And lately more than ever (in large part thanks to the pandemic) I have been feeling the pull of the country. A yearning for wide open spaces, for green as far as the eye can see, for cows and wildflowers, and no offense, for not seeing one single other person in sight. John Denver said it best when he sang, “country roads, take me home, to the place I belong.” But when you live in a desert climate like San Diego, there’s really not a whole lot of country to be seen or to escape to. And nope, no country roads. Nothing even close in fact.

So our daily walks or runs over on Coronado Island have become the city escape that my heart and soul are so deeply craving. Going over there is really nothing like what I am picturing when I think of the country (I was hoping for something much more like the opening credits of The Sound of Music), but it is still an escape. And not only will I happily take it, I know that we are incredibly blessed to have this beautiful option so close to us.

There’s a different feeling over on Coronado. A more relaxed pace, and a quieter, smaller town feel. Life seems to move just ever so slightly slower. And the people seem to be just a little bit kinder. It’s only a ten minute drive from our apartment, but it feels worlds away. And honestly, it is most definitely what has (sanely) (well. . .depending on who you ask) gotten me through these past four months, and is most definitely the highlight of my week. It’s not anything close to the sort of country that I’ve been craving, but for this city girl who’s mostly stuck at home, this is as good as it gets.