Far From the City

Beyond the Page

Something a little more personal and away from my upcoming book Just One. While I want a lot of my content to be in service of a large passion project, I’ve decided to add another segment that will be slightly different from the rest. This one, titled “Beyond the Pages”, will cover various topics but away from the writing, plotting, quotes and graphics.

I’m a city girl; I was born and raised in a city and never fancied the great outdoors. I used to ride my bike but never wanted to go through the dirt. For my walks, I would always be going through the streets of my neighbourhood with the music coming through from my MP3 (Android later, Discman and Walkman before that, now when we’re on this subject). I’ve always loved moving and listening to music. Also, I’m not fond of creepy crawly things, wet grass on my socks, etc.

So, it will come as a big surprise to say (and I have touched upon this a few times) but I don’t live in the city now. I don’t even live in a town now. My current neighbourhood would probably be best described as the middle of nowhere (not far from anything I may need, but still). Sometimes, I’m still surprised by this development. Truth is, I fell in love. I fell in love with a man, and I fell in love with a girl (her name is Tilly, and she’s our Jack Russell). I fell in love with the cats. I fell in love with the privacy and the adventure.

It’s hard to explain the peace and quiet you learn to love. Growing up, I couldn’t fall asleep in the silence. My lullaby was the sound of cars driving in the street. I used to not know how to live if a shop or newspaper stand wasn’t within walking distance… but you adapt, you learn, you change – all when you don’t expect. Over the past four years, we’ve built a life away from the hustle, the noise, the madness. It’s a healthier and cleaner life, filled with puppies and puddies that need your love and attention (more so the first than the latter, the cats want food more than anything else).

Here’s a piece of advice I love I could give myself… don’t knock it until you try it.

Thanks for reading; feel free to comment about where you live.

I’d love to hear from you!

~Love, L.V.