Beautiful essay Steven. I see a lot of the same reasons I moved out of SF and what I love about my life now. You did such a wonderful job of capturing another way, away from the media stories and marketing of big city life.
“I was driving home from a meeting the other day when the single mother who may be all of 5 feet tall was attempting to assemble a basketball hoop in the street for her young son. Even though I was going to miss my next meeting, I went over and assembled the thing. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Oh man, this and the several anecdotes after it made we well up. Those simple gestures are what make life meaningful.
So much wisdom in this piece and it’s beautifully written with the flow of a steady stream.
Careful, you're on the verge of getting us all to move there and overcrowding the place. A picture paints a thousand words, but these words paint a thousand pictures. "Church in the Americas is a sort of homeroom for life."
Steven, somehow I missed this essay. Thanks for referencing it in your post today.
“Church in the Americas is a sort of homeroom for life.” This is so shiny.
Those of us that value deep human connection will find each other. I admire you undertook the friction to move from CA to Idaho. We’re glad you and all that you are are here.
A really wonderful article Steven, gracefully written, full of delightful details and interspersed wiithg aphorisms that truly resonate. Your prose breathes authenticity. It's clear you've really settled into your new home . . . I hope your wife and son are now ok . . .
Sounds like a beautiful life man! Finding meaning in the other, in the community. It's those moments and relationships that enrich life and you capture it so evocatively, lowering the barrier for anyone to accomplish it, nice! Makes me want to bring you some coffee (tequila) soon.
Keep enjoying your amazing decision, and avoiding the use of clocks as it's supposed to be!
“Out here people don’t just want to get to know you, you are a part of them, as much as they are a part of you.”
You’ve captured such a nostalgic and mythic small-town wilderness vibe with this piece, and I’m totally here for it. Amidst clogged cities stinking with exhaust fumes, this part of humanity feels like a distant memory sometimes. It’s wonderful to see you bring it to life on the page, and encouraging to know that it’s still very much alive. “Out here” sounds like a wonderful place to be.
So beautifully written and so much cadence in the title. I am secretly afraid of small towns (coming from New York City) but I found the quiet and reliance on the neighbor a beautiful thing.
You're making me want this.
I'm in Jamaica now and a lot of the coziness is similair. I want it.
Yogi Berra was one of the wisest philosophers of all time.
Haha! So true!
Fantastic essay, Steven! Ideas so relevant for anybody wanting to feel a bit more connected.
Beautiful essay Steven. I see a lot of the same reasons I moved out of SF and what I love about my life now. You did such a wonderful job of capturing another way, away from the media stories and marketing of big city life.
I can’t wait to visit
“I was driving home from a meeting the other day when the single mother who may be all of 5 feet tall was attempting to assemble a basketball hoop in the street for her young son. Even though I was going to miss my next meeting, I went over and assembled the thing. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Oh man, this and the several anecdotes after it made we well up. Those simple gestures are what make life meaningful.
So much wisdom in this piece and it’s beautifully written with the flow of a steady stream.
Careful, you're on the verge of getting us all to move there and overcrowding the place. A picture paints a thousand words, but these words paint a thousand pictures. "Church in the Americas is a sort of homeroom for life."
What if I told you you could make this where ever you went? Next time on Envio...
Came here from a plug on the WOP newsletter. This life sounds so wonderful, and I do hope that everyone can feel this way wherever they are.
Steven, somehow I missed this essay. Thanks for referencing it in your post today.
“Church in the Americas is a sort of homeroom for life.” This is so shiny.
Those of us that value deep human connection will find each other. I admire you undertook the friction to move from CA to Idaho. We’re glad you and all that you are are here.
A really wonderful article Steven, gracefully written, full of delightful details and interspersed wiithg aphorisms that truly resonate. Your prose breathes authenticity. It's clear you've really settled into your new home . . . I hope your wife and son are now ok . . .
https://stevenfoster.substack.com/p/community-in-the-country/
This is the way we are supposed to live. Thank you for the inspiring reminder.
Sounds like a beautiful life man! Finding meaning in the other, in the community. It's those moments and relationships that enrich life and you capture it so evocatively, lowering the barrier for anyone to accomplish it, nice! Makes me want to bring you some coffee (tequila) soon.
Keep enjoying your amazing decision, and avoiding the use of clocks as it's supposed to be!
dos cafés con mezcal!
Honored to call you a neighbor, neighbor. Now about coffee...
We need to get coffee!
“Out here people don’t just want to get to know you, you are a part of them, as much as they are a part of you.”
You’ve captured such a nostalgic and mythic small-town wilderness vibe with this piece, and I’m totally here for it. Amidst clogged cities stinking with exhaust fumes, this part of humanity feels like a distant memory sometimes. It’s wonderful to see you bring it to life on the page, and encouraging to know that it’s still very much alive. “Out here” sounds like a wonderful place to be.
So beautifully written and so much cadence in the title. I am secretly afraid of small towns (coming from New York City) but I found the quiet and reliance on the neighbor a beautiful thing.