Thinking Local Never Felt So Good
Like many Canadian families, mine has made a dedicated effort to living a more clean, more green lifestyle. We don't just subscribe to the environmental impact that living this lifestyle has, but also the benefits to our personal health and the health of our community.
I've always been a stickler when it comes to nutrition, portion size and the activity level of my children. Though we've had our less than stellar periods where we get busy and have to take advantage of convenience items, for the most part my family eats healthy and gets active.
It wasn't until this year that we all decided to really try hard to stay local as much as possible. We live in an area with a vibrant sense of community and we feel it necessary to help advocate it. Not only are we saving money by staying closer to home for foods, clothing and gift items, we are helping our neighbours live and work in their community too.
One of our new favourite Saturday morning traditions is making the short drive into town, park and venture up and down our local main street. We hit the local farmers market, consignment shop and book store. We return library books, visit the butcher and the baker. The kids munch on cookies as we walk.
The best part of our morning is that I know everyone and the kids enjoy meeting these new people. During the week I work amoung them at the local post office. What better way to get to know my neighbours? I know how fortunate I am! I can tell the kids who buys commemorative stamps and who ships lots of parcels. Through me, my kids are making connections in their community that will impact their lives forever. These people are their teachers, their coaches and their mentors.
I grew up in the city. We didn't know our neighbours. We drove far to get our groceries. I always thought small-town living was a thing of the past. I know now how wrong I was.
I love this little town and our little life.
Local rules!
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Original post to Canada Moms Blog. Chantal is a happy resident of Almonte, Ontario where she regularly visits the Almonte Farmers Market. She blogs at Bread Crumbs In The Butter and tweets at Chantalmonte.
