The dance from the city to the country and back, from solitude to participation is an inner reality that is informed and informs our outer reality.

If you are a young family, the draw of the country, especially next to rivers, note the Genesee runs through Angelica (great name) to the city you are moving from (more or less).

Reading of what it happening to the earth in Bill McKibben’s Eaarth, I have a deep desire to live in a place that reminds me more of nature than humankind’s (maybe not so kind) dominance over it. As a brother, you are caring some of that energy for me, and I cheer on your move for your family and you with, “Paschal Mystery, baby!” The circle of the relationship of birth and death and rebirth, reminds me of the city/culture cycle that inevitably sends us to the country/culture and back again, if we listen to our hearts.

I live on a river and on my morning walk saw a heron perched in a tree above a concrete waterfall and spider’s webs along the bridge guardrail of the bridge and beyond the river running to the Atlantic. Country and city seemed to be imbued in these images.

Happy Trails and I look forward to hearing more.

The people in the department are a huge reason I’m going. Although Jack has retired, I see him regularly, and am truly excited about getting to know Lori and the others better this year. Great writers, great teachers, great people. Hope you can come and do another Writing Festival down here soon.

I like your embrace of both/and. I live downtown in a city of one million. I love Beijing and Calgary. I also love camping and wilderness — don’t get enough of that these days. We are yearning for a more nomadic where we can have our share of farm and forest and sea and skyscraper and neon. Looking forward to your future posts about this.