Loving where you live

To love where you live is about….finding freedom, peace and security in your chosen location.

Especially when you can’t travel your home and environment needs to appeal to you.

It seems every man and his dog, (or every woman and her cat) seem to travel the globe today, or they are planning and prioritising their future around this forever trendy occupation of TRAVEL.

Since the dawn of mankind, (and particularly in this last century since the aeroplane was invented.) we long to explore, to investigate other lands, to see how others live, basically I guess, to experience a small segment of life in another part of the world. It’s human nature to be inquisitive and knowledge seeking.

However when you can’t travel, you can still find freedom in your given location.

Maybe we are too old to travel, maybe we have a sickness that limits our travel, maybe we don’t like cars, buses and aeroplanes, or maybe we have done all the travelling we want.
With myself it’s basically all of the above and a few other reasons, the delays with air flight, the sitting in one spot for hours, the stomach aches from foreign food, the difference in time etc etc. All seem to contribute to the cessation of my travel urge.

AND one other major reason for myself is……I have found freedom….I have found a place that I am at peace with, completely contented with, and a place that has a natural beauty that can compare equally with any number of touristy, exotic locations anywhere in the world. In fact I find it better than most ….

Exploration for me is local,

Finding new places and walking, bike riding or boating to these new places keeps me more than fulfilled and occupied.

Why not look at your chosen location, look through a visitors eyes.

Where you live might just be a slice of heaven. No one knows your location exactly the way you do.

You get to experience it in all seasons, and in all temperatures, and in all its comings and goings.

There is actually a heck of a lot going on right where you live today. Why not make the most of it? It’s about attitude…
Paul the apostle sums up an ideal that we can strive for:

Philippians 4.11. ..I have learnt to be content whatever the circumstances. I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound in any and every situation, I have learned the secret of being filled and being hungry, of having plenty and having need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

We can do all things, in time, and with patience and gratitude along the way.

However it could be time to move….

I am not saying you must live in the same location all your life. Maybe your neighbour has a pesky barking dog. (Seriously we have moved because of barking dogs!!) Maybe you are not suited to the climate, maybe you need to fulfil a lifelong dream and move to the country…. Whatever your situation you still have options, a caravan, or building a new home, or buying an old home, building a small cost effective beach home, (as we have done).

Whatever you can afford, and have a vision for, you may want to downsize, or upsize to a prettier location in the same area you live.

Finding freedom is generally about being healthy and content in your current location, at your stage in life. It’s also about dreaming a dream and planning for a contented future.

Below are my images of my neighbourhood.

Hat and towel on the front of boat at salmon Inlet Yorke Peninsula

Red striped towel on the front of the boat, cliffs in distance.

Wendy Philip sitting on a surfboard at Wilder beach Yorke Peninsula

Boating is our great love, fishing and exploring new islands and inlets, many times places only accessible by boat.

Marion Bay jetty.

Yachts in the early morning moored at Marion Bay Yorke Peninsula

I often stroll along our local beach. The yachts that stop overnight at Marion Bay are ideal for the keen photographer, like myself!!

West Cape beach misty day. Yorke Peninsula

West Cape beach, notorious for huge waves which apparently come thousands of mile from the Antarctica. The South Australian coastline is in the Southern ocean, known to be rough and erratic. It is ideal for a long walk when the conditions are right.