6 Months

Two days ago I reached the six month mark of living here. Halfway through the 365 Days I'd committed to. Later this week I'll discuss the end-of-the-year milestone.  

It's interesting how we segment time. A way to monitor progress, a method to measure progression. 

When I came here, I had some hopes, some expectations and lots of uncertainties. I'd never lived in a small town before. I'd honestly never considered it. But of course Aspen is different. First of all, it's only "small" when you count the full-time locals.  The population swells in both the summer and the winter.  It's estimated that the population goes from under 7,000 to 26,000+ over the holidays.  Secondly (and I hope I don't offend anyone with this statement) but it doesn't suffer from a "small-town mentality." The definition of the word "provincial" suggests, "having or showing the manners, viewpoints, etc., rustic, narrow or illiberal; parochial."  Yet the people of Aspen are none of these things. They're actually sophisticated, open-minded, and liberal. 

When I moved I expected intelligent and hoped for open; I was pleasantly thrilled to find so many of them liberal and concerned for the environment. (I guess I should have expected the latter, given the magnificent beauty of this place I now call "home.")  

What you don't know when you make a move like this is how it will change you in the process.  How a change in surroundings can affect you internally as well as externally.  

I'm still a work-in-progress. And I'm experienced enough to know that things will continue to change/evolve for me. But for now, as I chronicle my daily experience in this blog, I will marvel at the wonder of it all.