Only in Homer

It’s easy to find sweetness right where I am. I’ve been working on cultivating a lifestyle of gratitude for years now, and a #getaftergrateful list is never far from my lips. It’s also easy to see a photo of someone enjoying 80+ degree weather and find myself pining for somewhere else. In addition to being over-the-top careful about what I view on social media these days, I decided to make a list of things I can enjoy only in Homer, Alaska.

• I can hike a mountain and splash in the sea on the same outing.
• I can use phrases like stopping by the post and Do you need anything from the market?
• I can order a delicious iced latte from no fewer than five coffee shops in the same three block stretch.
• I can watch bald eagles soar through the sky.
• I can leave for church ten minutes before service starts and still make it in time for the opening song.
• I can enjoy a fire in June.
• I can eat fresh fish for free.
• I can eat berries for free.
• I can get to know (and learn from!) every single medical provider in town.
• I can hold starfish in my hands.
• I can read a book on the beach, and then walk back home to cook dinner.
• I can collect wool sweaters.
• I can take an entire hour to water my plants and hand wash my delicates.
• I can take naps and read books in bed in the middle of the day.
• I can cook without a crock pot.
• I can order peaches from California and line up on delivery day.
• I can remind myself of God’s promises, thanks to the almost-daily rainbows we enjoy.