Missing Life in the City

As most of you know, David and I are currently in good ol' Lubbock, Texas--my hometown and basically the capital of suburbia. Today I was missing my other home a little bit (East Asia) so I was getting on friends' blogs and reading about what was going on on the other side of the world. Basically, I discovered they are smack in the middle of the summer rainy season, which I very much remember from last summer when the temperature never got above 60 degrees and it rained continuously, 24 hours a day, for about 25 days straight in July (no shorts or swimming or any of the fun summer activities I was looking forward to). So, that was good and made me thankful to spend the summer in a different way--at home, with family, in Lubbock where it is currently 102 degrees. But I read a recent blog by my friend Josh that was inspired by a book he was reading about urbanism--basically, it was all about how living in the city really is good for the soul. He described a lot of the casual relationships he and his wife have built with their neighbors and with the shopkeepers and vegetable sellers in their neighborhood. About these he said, "I’m realizing how significant all these short little human interactions are. Interacting with strangers is good for the soul. It helps me remember that I’m not the only one on the planet and helps me to care about people who aren’t directly involved in my life. I think that it makes me more human." I completely agree. I feel like living in the city I meet new and interesting people every day--cab drivers, women who sell handmade aprons on the street, etc. 90% of these interractions are positive, but even the negative ones are good for me in that they teach me patience, and they help me take seriously being polite, kind and compassionate to others. Its defintely my favorite thing about living in the city, and also one of my favorite things about living overseas (that the people I meet are from a different culture just makes them more interesting to me)! Anyway, I highly recommend reading this blog entry.