Duluth Digest #2.5

Today we find ourselves reprieved of the Duluth weather anomaly, or independent weather pattern; instead, we're under a flood warning stretching from our corner of Lake Superior all the way south past San Antonio to the Mexican border. My wife has relatives living in San Antonio, and it's rare that something occurring here is also occurring there. The proclivities of rain and sunshine are not the only things that I'm not used to around here; I also need an orientation to the social fabric. My wife Laura and I discussed the distinction I made in my last post about what fulfills each of us, and we came to agree that we both need the natural world AND the social construct. Living in Duluth, however, has given me some kind of detachment disorder. This may be just the absence of what I'm used to in terms of feeling connected. I've lived in larger cities until now, where I've always known how and where to facilitate whatever kind of human interaction I need. To be honest, I've never had the degree of profoundly tranquil non-human interaction that I have here, and I have definitely bonded with these physical surroundings.

Duluth Digest #2

The fall colors are popping in the North, and it's awesome. The three of us went for a superb hike this morning along the wonderfully scenic Lester River, which is even more gorgeous right now because of the colorful trees, and the medley of leaves and needles on the ground against a backdrop of mud from many recent rainy days. We marveled at the sensations of soggy foliage, the rushing river and the fragrance of the forest in autumn. The light rain that was coming down enhanced the scenery even more. I've come to cherish having these creeks and rivers running right through the city, within minutes of home, and I'm impressed that they have been preserved essentially as part of the park system in Duluth. Hiking and running along these trails, along with catching glimpses of Lake Superior here and there, invigorates me. I've realized from living here that the proximity to nature deeply satisfies my soul and energizes my mind. I've also learned that my wife yearns for proximity to culture and community for the same reasons. Now you understand the dilemma we're deliberating over: where, oh where will we find an agreeable compromise?