Top Ten Things I Love About Colorado

I just had an awesome visit in NJ with friends and family. It was such a great time and I really wish I could get them all to move out to CO with me. Then there would be no more goodbyes. But I know that is not possible so I will hope something better than United comes along to get us back and forth to each other. After sitting on the runway for over two hours in Newsrk I am really thinking next time my route will be Route 80 but maybe I will settle down soon.

So now that I have been away from home for awhile I am thinking of what I miss in Colorado. Here are some of my favorite things about my new state:

Farmers market: I just love the produce and bread and chips and salsa we get at the farmers market. I also like the view of the mountains while I stroll and the live musical that entertains us. It is big but not too big and the crowds are always just enough to make it feel festive.

Mountain views: I wonder if I will ever tire of the mountain views. I love driving west on Highway 66 with such a wide open view of Longs Peak. Somehow those huge mountains help me keep things in perspective. No matter what I am struggling with, I look up at the view and feel renewed.

Helpfulness: There are helpful people everywhere. Without a doubt NJ locals- do not take offense- it is not a contest and you are plenty helpful. But I find strangers or near strangers are much more helpful in CO. When we were moving into our house someone I work with called and said I have two strong boys, a strong husband and a helpful daughter, we also have a trailer. We can help you move into your house today. Wow! This entire family of five spent their Sunday helping this family they hardly knew move into a house. I felt like the grinch that day when his heart grew three sizes because of the love of others.

Prospect Eats and other outdoors gatherings: Every Monday about a dozen gourmet food trucks surround the perimeter of a park and sell dinner and dessert while a band performs. It is just a happy gathering of people out to hang with friends, enjoy good food and music and enjoy the great outdoors. Sometimes these food trucks also frequent micro brews, parks and festivals. It is a fun way to enjoy great food and the great outdoors at the same time.

Paths: It is so nice to have a planned neighborhood with walking and biking paths. It is fun to walk for miles without dealing with obnoxious cars who have no respect for people trying to get some exercise.

Free camping away from it all: I like the back to basics camping without the sounds of generators. It feels good to see the stars so bright without light pollution dimming them.

Live music: So far my favorite place is Planet Bluegrass in Lyons. I like the Friday night bluegrass in the autumn with a big campfire along the creek. Even more than the live music, I like to see so many people gathered together with genuine happiness and appreciation for the little things- gathering with friends, laughing and dancing.

Cool sessions: This probably has nothing to do specifically with Colorado. But because we cleared our calendar of a lot of commitments by starting in a whole new area it gave us time to explore some new things. The Grey Havens Society is a group of Tolkien readers who meet weekly to discuss all things Middle Earth. We take turns bringing our son who loves the ninety minute conversations. As an added bonus, I find it to bond us and we continue to discuss talking points through out the week. I also enjoy the variety of Yoga classes. In the east my classes were rather sterile, simply progressing through the poses. These classes are almost like a mini retreat with as much nurturing for my spirit as for my muscles.

Manners: Generally speaking I have found my CO students much more polite than the ones in NJ. (Of course dozens of my NJ students were the most rewarding people I could work with. But I have yet to encounter the entitlement of some of the parents and students.) I cannot count how many times my Colorado students have said thank you when I really felt I was just doing my job. They also will sincerely ask about my family or weekends and they really like to hear all about things, just as I do.

I feel connected. Even people like the girl at the coffee shop will say- so do you have anything fun planned for today? And they want to hear. It also makes me realize how expected it is to find time for fun..., it is not all about work. As my colleague said- in the east they live to work, here we work to live and then we go home and LIVE.

Not everything is perfect. Two things I could totally do without are: Weight on license and black smoke. If I had know my weight was actually going to be printed on the front of my license I would not have been so honest! And what is up with these huge gas guzzling trucks that pour out all this black smoke at the red lights. So not cool!