Our House

Today I wanted to get some art supplies, so I just put on my jacket and headed out. And on the way, I realized how thankful I am to have an art shop within a 7 minute walk of our house. And that took me back to how I felt when we first moved out to the east end, how I longed for downtown living.* Now that we've been here a few years, I've come to love all sorts of things about our home and 'hood. So in the spirit of being with the present and noticing what's changed, I'd like to share what I'm grateful for.

What I love about our little patch of T.O.

• There's an art store within quick walking distance.
• There's a grocery store within quick walking distance.
• In the summer, there's a garden centre within quick walking distance.
• The subway is within quick walking distance (Clearly quick walking distance is meaningful to me)
• We have a park north of us we can walk to and in.
• We're a quick bus ride or a relatively long but enjoyable walk to the beach.
• A cool and yummy tapas restaurant has come into the 'hood.
• A cool coffee shop has opened up relatively close.
• When I go for a walk, I'm in a neighbourhood where I can look at houses.
• Value Village is a quick jaunt away.
• I know a community of Nia teachers in the 'hood.
• We're 2 subway stops from a restaurant we like to hang out at.
• We're 1 subway stop from a great breakfast place.
• We're a 15-minute ride to Yonge & Bloor (central spot in T.O.)
• We can go to the movies in the Beaches.
• I've come to know the Beaches neighbourhood better.
• We have a garden.
• We have a guest room.
• We have our own laundry.
• We've built some nice memories into our house.
• We're learning to become homeowners (slowly, very slowly).
• We can afford our house.

It's funny because recently I've actually been feeling a bit discouraged about our house and how much there is to learn and do. And then for this post I was looking at pictures from when we moved in, like the one I'm sharing here which is of the early days of my studio. And in the pictures I saw how far we had come, and that was a treat. I look forward to more progress and more love.

* Interestingly just after I'd written this post I came across Michelle's lovely invitation to share posts that were really important to us that received less attention, less comments, than we had hoped. Immediately I knew the post for me was the one about how deeply I missed downtown living. When I read it I see that my pain is really in between the lines. I'm glad that today I can also celebrate some things about where I am now.