Making Memories

Today we drove out to my brother and sister-in-law's for dinner to celebrate her recent birthday and to catch up at their place. They live half an hour's drive away on 50 acres outside a small rural town and we don't go to visit often enough. I realised as we drove there that I am a bit hypocritical. As we live about 30 min away from the city many of our townie friends think we live a long way away so to come and visit is a major undertaking for them. I secretly think they make a bigger deal of it than it needs to be as we think nothing of driving into the city and back again - I have done it twice in a day on many an occasion. I am hypocritical as I realised I inadvertently think the same about going out to my brother's place and hence the reason we don't go often enough.

We collected my mother who lives nearby and drove out along country roads with views of the nearby foothills and low mountains. The sky was filled with various cloud formations with snippets of blue to see. The wind was a blustery nor'wester that warmed the air and made us all a little bit on the edge of irritable. The little town near where they live is quite pretty. There are several cafes and boutique shops that have been opened in the last few years that always make me want to stop and browse. There are many little cottages in varying states of repair that make me yearn for a cottage in a country town to fill with old furniture, floral prints and beautiful porcelain and crystal. As it was late in the afternoon we couldn't stop so we headed to their place and I made the resolve to come back another day to browse. We had a lovely evening and enjoyed their garden that has grown hugely since I was last there and we laughed and talked. It was enjoyable and cost little other than the petrol to get there and the food we ate - which I figure you have to spend money on regardless of where you are eating! I enjoyed choosing some clothes to wear that were casual and in a combination I have never worn before and took the time during the day to take pleasure in the differences of the day from usual and the memories we were making.

I am aware that today may not really seem about finding something new about something I already own but I figure that it actually is about this very thing. I "own" the privilege of having family relatively nearby  who live in a beautiful part of the country and today we took the time to enjoy that privilege and it was worth more than any purchase could ever be. Money can't buy the memories we made today and it really took little effort to make them. I aim to do it more!