A day in the life...

I made a new friend last year who continually called my little hometown idyllic and compared it to a Hallmark movie. Having grown up here and knowing the little things that small towns like to hide from the world, I found myself jaded to the beauty that she was seeing as a transplant to the city.

Over the year however I've found myself seeing more and more beauty in this small town. I've always loved the beauty of the farms and cow filled fields, but the more intricate workings of the downtown life always eluded me. Thanks to her way of seeing things, I've been able to see the birds chirping and the winter lights around our town a little differently. I've made new friendships and formed (hopefully) lasting relationships with businesses and their owners. I've fed more people in my little community than I thought possible in my very small-still finding it's way-business' first year venturing into something new.

Today on a random day off from my part-time job, I spent the morning meal prepping for the week and then delivered food for my weekly meal clients. Afterwards, I walked to the local coffee shop and ended up staying an hour longer than expected just chatting with the owner and some other locals. It was there, while laughing over lattes and granitas, with the local caffeine dealer, local mental health advocate and the local community go-to (seriously, I'm sure she gets calls from everyone needing or wanting something) that my friend Anastacia's words came back to me. This impromptu meeting of the minds, hopeful change makers and good vibe dealers, was straight out of a Hallmark movie; she would have loved it. A little gossip, a little venting and a lot of encouragement to and from each other regarding whatever current projects we're all working on.

Once home I continued working doing my business 'housekeeping' by going over budgets and menus and recipes while out on my back porch. And I ended the day with a yoga class and more conversation with new friends forming new relationships.

These are the days that keep me going on the bad days. These are a few of the relationships that remind me that I'm not a fraud.

Sometimes growing up in a small town is a curse, but it's days like today when I remember what a blessing it truly is. I'm thankful for the friendly and talkative traits I've received from my family, the small-town relationships forged in church pews, grocery store aisles and doctors' offices. They have taken a meeting from "hello" to "I'm Alburn's granddaughter." and left the conversation with a new friend.

If you too live in a small town, take a second look around the next time you feel down, strike up a conversation or just take a walk around the block and remember how blessed you are.