don't go no don't go

There is a feeling that is attached to living in Campbell River that I don't think I will ever find again. That isn't on my list, because I can't explain it very well, but it sits in my heart and I will miss it very much. These are the other things I will miss.

Things I Will Miss About Campbell River:
1. Having my own place. I'm not sure I'll get used to having PEOPLE around all the time. And where am I going to put all my stuff?
2. The wind. It's so much better here. It's windy all the time, no matter what the other weather is.
3. The sky. I think because nobody lives out here, there's less pollution to muck up how beautiful the sky is. So many times when I'm walking somewhere I'll notice how amazing the clouds and colours are and stop and stare.
4. The smell of campfire. Lots of people still have wood-burning stoves out here in the sticks, so it smells like camping all the time. People don't have wood-burning stoves in Surrey. It only smells like campfire when I'm camping, and I don't think I'll do that again.
5. Bible study. I FINALLY found a bible study for ladies who are my age without husbands. Not that there's anything wrong with a husband, but we talk about different things when none of us have them. Everybody is so fun and wise and I keep getting challenged every week and it's fantastic.
6. My students and the staff. Even though my kids drive me bonkers, I love them lots of the time. And there are lots of cool people working at the school who know lots of neat things and are fun to be around. (Especially the French teacher!) I hate saying good-bye to people I will never see again. HATE IT.
7. My classroom. It's going to take a while to get my own classroom in the public school system. I like organizing things the way I want them, and looking out my window at the great view, and have two giant desks upon which to store all my junk/important teaching stuff.
8. Everything is so close together in a small town. Sometimes I get upset when I have to drive into town, even though it's about five minutes away. Back home, stuff is SO FAR.
9. The lack of traffic. There are barely any people here, so there's barely any cars. No irritating fellow travelers to stand in the way of my desired speed limit.
10. Perfect walks. When I take Charlie for a walk, I have two wonderful choices: a) pack him into his crate and drive to the beach, to walk along the ocean where it is beautiful and windy and there is a dog water fountain at the mid-point, or b) walk around my neighbourhood, where I have a hill at the beginning and a hill at the end for a challenge, and in between are various side streets that are flat and quiet where I don't get accosted by cars or dogs or people who want to talk to me. Plus, now there are flowering bushes and trees everywhere for me to stop and smell.

I'm going to miss it here.