Finding Joy Again and How I See Things in a Different Light

When you have the opportunity to watch others, you can see the joy in how they look at the world. Especially when it is something that was familiar but in their absence, things had changed. The old familiar can become new again and watching that joy is catching.

The same goes for me the past few months, as that one year mark approached of Paul’s passing. I realized that – all of the sudden, mind you – I was seeing life with a new set of eyes. I suppose that suggests the healing process of grief had worked its way to the other side, the light side.

I began to notice life was bright and light, every day, even when it was cloudy. I noticed the bright colors of the spring flowers, then the variety of colors of fall leaves on the ground. I realized that more people smiled when I smiled at them on the greenbelt, on a foothills trail, downtown as I walked. It dawned on me that I was feeling much more confident in my day to day life.

On Sunday, I watched as a new friend smiled broadly and with abandon as he rediscovered Boise in small ways. I loved listening to him describe what gave him newfound joy in town he thought we would not return to. Come to think of it, I watch these very same reactions when I have out of town clients that make the decion to move back to Boise. They are all excited at how the Boise Valley has grown and what it has to offer.

Boise now has a small but exciting urban setting downtown, neighborhoods on the outskirts that you can meet someone you know no matter where you stop. The various areas in Boise have a piece of Boise that we have all come to treasure! The North End with cottages and bungalows, some small and some grand, but all mixed together. The East End with a similar feel but wider streets and unique history if you happen to notice the old horse hitching posts. The Bench where you will notice the post war construction of brick ranch style homes. Central West Boise with ranch style homes, but a mix of brick and siding that lets you know that was the 70’s alright! Southeast Boise definitely has the mix of ranchers (shortened term for ranch style homes), and the emergence of more planned neighborhoods that are now fully matured with tall standing trees for shade at the parks. West Boise and Southwest Boise are newer and perhaps more subdivision-ey, but comfortable with the large number of neighborhood parks our mayor has made a commitment to. Meridian is now a city to watch in Idaho, with the fantastic growth in the right direction, all thanks to a mayor with vision. Kuna, Eagle and Star are still bedroom communities for getting away from it all. How interesting it is that I see all of this with Realtor® eyes: I see the homes, their styles, and the “neighborhood” itself.

Inside each of these homes are stories, and the residents may see the same thing you look at with a completely different perspective. There is a story behind each trinket, an event that is a reminder from just a scratch on the wood floor or nick on a wall. A vacation from the past in a piece of art on display. A plant that has been in the house for quite some time, just repotted with age. Those framed photographs make the house a home, or at least it does for me.

Back home is how I finally feel. I am so grateful that my healing period of grief has brought me to this place.

#grief #grieving #lifelesson #BoiseValley #neighborhoods