A small haven

A few summers ago while I was living in Minneapolis, I realized that although I am not a big city girl, it seemed that it would be very fun to live in a big city for a while, in a cute little apartment. I thought that as long as I were single or didn't have kids, this could be a fun short-term thing, although I definitely want a house with a yard when I do have a family. But a little apartment in the city, close to a lot of culture and people and excitement- that sounded like fun for a single girl.

Well, here I am. Salt Lake isn't a huge bustling metropolis, but it's as big as you get in Utah, and it definitely has that city feel to it, especially compared to Provo. And I have my little apartment, right where the suburbs meet the city. And it is fun. It's taken some getting used to, but I think I'm rather enjoying my city stint. The very best part is the place where I find myself now- on my balcony, at night, looking over the whole Salt Lake Valley at the symphony of lights, in the warm summer air, and surrounded by my garden.

I've never been exactly sure why plants have always drawn me in so much, but it's almost comical how my eyes get drawn to the garden section of stores as I walk past them. And there's something, in a way, even more delightful about a little balcony full of garden pots than there is about rolling fields of fruit and flowers. I think it lies in the fact that the flower pots are defying the odds by being there. THey are out of place and unexpected and that makes them more pleasant, by sheer contrast.

In any case, by sitting on my balcony in my little garden, I can feel a sense of peace and solitude, even as cars rush past on the busy road. My heart rejuvenates and I always step back inside a little more cheerful and energetic than I was. It's my little haven from the world, my place of meditation and reading and just enjoying life. And it makes my heart glad.