...city girl turned country...

after a vacation drive from san antonio, austin, dallas, little rock and then my tiny town of eureka springs i was thinking about how much i love living in eureka springs. mainly i was thinking of how much i was wrapped in my city mind when i lived in the big city. the city has consumerism written all over it and after driving down many stretches of long highway i saw how every town becomes the same with their super strip malls filled with bed bath and beyonds, old navy and starbucks stores. i felt a need to buy and go shopping while visiting there. i really was awaken to the fact that when i lived in dallas and portland all i ever wanted to do was shop and get the latest trendy fashions, makeup and "stuff" i really do not need. after moving to eureka springs (population of 2,000) i was able to forget about all of that "wanting" and learn to live with the few special things i have. first of all these days my economy does not allow for me to shop anymore because all the money i make goes towards food and paying bills. second of all i just do not have that "wanting" need anymore to go out and buy stuff that i really do not need. as a matter of fact, i did go shopping on black friday with family members- hey, its what all the women in my family were doing.....but i found my self overwhelmed with wanting and i even picked up a dress and put it back on the rack 3-4 times in different parts of the store until i finally realized i was being sucked in. i did not get the dress. and you know what- i am damn proud of myself. so each city we drove through it was the same thing- strip malls, shopping and more and more cars. i was happy to go through the little stretch of one lane highway that rolls through the bigger of the surrounding small towns outside of eureka and i began to see more mom and pop locally owned stores and people wearing overalls and mix matchced thrift store clothing at gas stations. i am proud to have recognized my brainwashing i received in the city and proud of the fact that i am scorpio and always clearing and renewing my surroundings. i am proud of the past year of clearing my home and material things of the things that have no real value and have control over me from my attachments to them. i understand that there are still a few things that i am very attached to, but can learn to become non attached and just enjoy having them even if they may get stolen or lost one day. i can be unattached to my fabulous rock and natural earth elements collection and my very first guitar. i can be unattached to my books and meditation chime. i can be unattached to my wanting and needing urges to go shopping and become the ultimate consumerized american. i love my town of zero stop lights and custom locally owned stores. i am proud of my town of eclectic artists and old hippies, of crooked sidewalks and small town politics. i am more than loving to our sense of community and feelings of family when i go anywhere in town. i love the fact that anywhere i go i see someone i like and everyone knows everyone. i will always miss my friends and relationships i made with others in the city, but the country is where i belong now and soon i will even have the goat and chickens to prove it. thank you eureka springs for finding the time to show me these things. i am forever grateful for you.