We got a little inkling of winter today. Unseasonably warm weather left us and we were again bundling up in mousy hats and warm woolen mittens. At this time of year, I enjoy it. Crisp cold makes the Christmas trees already lining streets downtown makes sense. It reminds me of childhood winter excitement and gives me hope for snowflakes to tickle nose and eyelashes. Cold certainly doesn’t keep us away from the playground,
even if we’re the only ones enthusiastic enough to venture out.
Days like today remind me how thankful I am for the crowds to leave. A lot of people wouldn’t be able to handle the emptiness that is Nantucket in the off-season, but I appreciate how small town our island is: how we can go to Friday morning music class and share it with just two other toddlers; how later in the day the only other child at the playground, is one we saw earlier at the library; how I pretty much know most of the little people’s names. I’m thankful for the tight-knit community Nora is growing up in.
And I’m thankful for place. Not only are we in the perfect mix of small-town and bigger city, but, short of Bayeux, I couldn’t think of a better place for this town to be. Cobblestone streets. Cedar siding. No megacorps, chain restaurants or big-box retail. Surrounded by history. Always walking distance from the beach.
Perfect for swimming and sandcastles during the summer, seashell hunting and impromptu celebrations of sunset. Just because we can. And, of course, lighthouses.
I’m ever thankful for lighthouses and their companion, the whistle of the ferry that sings out reliably as it slips away from the dock, always a reminder of our separation. A reminder of the uniqueness that is life 30 miles out-to-sea. Did you know we don’t even have a traffic light?
Yes, I am so thankful for Nantucket. For it’s beauty, it’s community, and what wonderful things it has brought to our family.
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