No room to roam

Lately I've felt very cooped up.


Living in the DC area, space is at a minimum. My house is small, my bathroom is eensy teensy, the aisles in the grocery store are tight, and parking spots - forget about it! Really, the parking spots and size of driving lanes here are extremely narrow. I have a big car and I really feel how tight these are. In fact, I've kept Olive's carseat in the middle of the backseat b/c I never know if I'll be able to get in/out of one side of my car so keep her there so I can pick the less cramped side to get her out. The sidewalks around our neighborhood are small and within our neighborhood, there's not much room to walk b/c it's right by all the parking lots. I feel crowded and cramped everywhere I go.

This weekend we visited Harpers Ferry, WV, a beautiful place, and on the drive there, we saw open fields and homes with yards and we were in awe - "this is soooo beautiful" we gawked. Well, yes, it is, but we are also just in amazement that not every single inch is covered in concrete and that people could afford a modest home with land, a place for the kids and dogs to play. We discussed how we feel like it's a trade-off here...either you live closer into town in a teeny tiny house and make it "convenient" to get to work (ie only an hour or so commute) or you live further out and have a great big house and yard but a ridiculously long commute. Is it really overly greedy to want both?? Unfortunately, we are not multi-millionaires who can afford both in this area. But some days I get frustrated with the crampiness of it all and just wish there were a place where I could run free and twist around with my arms outstretched and sing and scream and have no one hear me! I think the zen I felt in Florida evaporated so quickly b/c the pace of life here and the lack of open space makes me feel like a caged animal and it does not always bring out the best in me. Perhaps one day things will be different but it certainly makes me appreciate the beauty of nature and the relaxed way of life.