Winter in Warren

Took a walk today about 1.5 miles west through town, then 1.5 miles on a dirt road loop into the mountains which brought me back to town, where I walked another 1/2 mile loop to visit the bank, the post office and the library, which are within 2 blocks of one another, then headed north a mile to my mother's house where I shoveled her driveway for the 2oth time this winter, then backtracked 1.5 miles to where I started. That walk encapsulated everything that is wonderful and depressing about Warren: All one needs is within a mile and most of what one wants is within 3 miles-so long as one is willing to walk through clouds and/or rain and/or snow for 8 out of 10 days. I literally do not need a car to live here and yet can count on my hands the sunny days since November 2nd. While living in the eastern part of the state I was accustomed to seeing redwing blackbirds and grackles return by late February, so I miss the comparative warmth and sunshine of that area. But the overpopulation there contributes to an overall level of stress and economic inflation that makes the area nearly unlivable. Warren is in the process of trying to revitalize it's downtown into a tourist mecca in order to attract people to the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains, and the town has much to offer for simple, cheap, friendly living- If only it could control the weather! Needless to say, I am ready for spring and look forward to that time of life when I can move south for the winters and return when this town shows it's summer charm...

Irreverent Ambition

I heard from the mother of a teenage son that my walk had inspired him to abandon his plan of living in a box to instead attend art school, and I approved of his decision while advising that he not learn so much in school that it corrupted his creativity. That is, so long as his teachers encouraged him to expand his ideas rather than stifle them, then he would avoid trading one box for another and so find his path sincerely. I must admit that I have a fondness for his first ambition, at least in that it reveals an ability to think outside the box as it were, which is a rare and refreshing thing in this society. There comes a time in every young life when a person must leave behind one's mentors and realize that the only path forward is to follow one's desires regardless of social or economic reward. What the society calls ambition may as easily be called foolheartedness and at length no life is wasted that foremost seeks knowledge and compassion. The challenge for every human being is to nurture one's ideals through every hardship and emerge hopeful and optimistic. It is never too late-Never-to change directions and live according to one's inner directives. If life requires their postponement for good reasons, then do what you must to nurture dreams in your spare time, in your soul, until such moment as you know the time is ripe for their fruition.
To all those aspiring artists who must balance physical survival with creativity, I have always felt that it is an obligation to your Creator that you develop your talent, which ultimately will inspire and reward you in ways unforeseen. Every life matures at it's own pace along intimately private avenues.