Happy to look at the bright side today | Why we (still) love Chico - Chico Enterprise-Record

I’ve lived on both coasts, the Southern states, and Hawaii – moved a dozen times, crisscrossing the country.  I say that to say I can compare with some sense of authority on the subject.  There are lovely pros and less desirable cons I can pick apart around so many towns and cities from personal experience, but here’s what I like about our sweet little spot and why, now that I’m of an age and financial security to live anywhere, I still choose to be right here.

Let’s start with our local media.  I don’t think folks appreciate our local newspapers because they really are so good.  I can’t count the times I’ve gotten all riled up over one issue or another – and then an editorial comes out that perfectly expresses what I was struggling to relay.  There is comfort in that.  I can’t imagine living in a town where my local papers scared me (politically).  Don’t take them for granted.  They are gold.  Having said that – I do take myself out of the competition aspect of this project.

And how about our weather – surely a quality of life issue we complain about or appreciate daily.

For the most part, our weather is almost perfectly moderate.  We don’t have the rain of the Pacific Northwest.  My days in Oregon and Washington saw rainstorms so heavy and regular it sometimes felt like I lived in water.  I remember the sticky clothes and frizzy hair with the humidity in Florida.  I lived with baking heat in Nevada and Arizona when I had to wear gloves in the summer so I didn’t burn my hand on the car door or steering wheel.  I remember the ice and snow that froze me to the bone for months on end when I lived in New York.  We don’t seem to have the extremes I’ve lives with elsewhere.  Most days I can count on a sunny warm pleasant walk in Bidwell Park.

Let’s talk about housing …

For all the smack talk around housing.  I am inspired regularly with the charming restored and maintained bungalows in the Avenues, the mid-century estates around Bidwell Park, the innovative new urban design like Doe Mill and Meriam Park, the Victorians around the campus – and my neighborhood – one I love with it’s wide streets and mature trees that display their glory every season like clockwork.

The GPS.  I find our position in this land a bit remarkable.  We are a short drive away to be a world away if we so choose.  At our fingertips are charming foothills, the grandeur of forested mountains, ocean cliffs, the exciting urban center of our capital or historic San Francisco.  Yet, here we are… tucked away in a peaceful agricultural community with all these choices at our beck and call.  When I lived further South, we’d have to battle traffic to enjoy almost any plans we made. When in Texas, we’d have to drive forever to get from town to town.  In Hawaii, we were limited to that small island, and as wonderful as it was … I sure do understand island fever.

No doubt there will be those quick to contradict each point, those that have a bone to pick with the E-R or News & Review, those that don’t share the luxury of my wide streeted neighborhood, and those that see the seedier side of the park or downtown plaza so prominently.  But that’s the thing, isn’t it.  Taking a moment to reflect on the good.  The peaceful.  The not so bad.  Criticizing isn’t all bad; some might say it’s a strive towards excellence.  But maybe today, we can look at the bright side specifically for a bit.  The good enough already side.  And then later, strive some more.

— Christine Boyle 

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Happy to look at the bright side today | Why we (still) love Chico - Chico Enterprise-Record
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