Written October 8, 2013
We are still basking in the afterglow of our West Central Home and Garden Tour experience. We still marvel at the relative ease with which nearly 1,500 people passed through our home and chalk it up to a well-oiled machine created by a seasoned group of tour organizers. We’re still relishing the positive feedback the visitors offered that reaffirmed all that we love about our abode. And we continue to be energized by neighborhood pride and camaraderie, during Tour time and always.
The Tour took place nearly one full year after we moved into our home. This milestone provided a perfect reminder of how different our lives were one year ago. The enormity of the restoration consumed the summer of 2012 and all other activities took a back seat. Festivals came and went and the bike trails were left for others to enjoy. Farmers’ markets were forgotten as were relaxing cocktail hours and leisurely cookouts. The summer was a blur and before we knew it, the Tin Caps’ season was over and we hadn’t cheered them on even once. (A melancholy quartet of violins may now commence.)
Pictorially, last summer looked like this…
and this summer looked like this.
I repeat. Last summer…
and this summer.
We willingly accepted that we needed to do this…
before we could do this…
but it is this stark contrast that drives gratitude even deeper into our bones. Gratitude for our naivete in launching this project quickly followed by gratitude for our tenacity in bringing it to its end. Gratitude for the multitude of folks who made our home a reality. And gratitude for a welcoming neighborhood and an appreciative community. Life is good in the ‘hood.
