That Thing

So yesterday I drove down to Bellevue to paint in interior of the "middle suite" in the building. Of course, I ran into a snow storm - the 5th one I have driven through in the last 5 weeks of back and forthing to the Pass. If anyone out there is a son or daughter of Mother Nature, could you please take out the garbage, do the dishes or clean your room - your mom is in a bad mood!
One of the benefits of doing a 5 hour round trip on a regular basis is that you become very relaxed and tend to do some soul searching (or you think about business) - this time it was soul searching.
What is it about Crowsnest Pass, I was thinking. Well as strange as it sounds because I tell anyone who will listen that the scenery is amazing, there are these forgotten parts of history, the mountaing biking is great etc.. The one thing that really has put Crowsnest Pass over the top is the people. For Andrea and I we first met "locals" when we became instant friends with Steve and Jessica at Stone's Throw - through them we met more people and through them even more. The people, especially those who have made a conscious life-choice to move to the Pass seem to have a few great things in common - I will make a list because I don't put much thought into my posts and this is as close to organized as I can get.

1. Non-materialistic: people know there is more to life than a bigger house, larger vehicle, a better this or fancier that. This is so refreshing.
2. Lifestyle seekers: there are people who want to live in an outdoorsy town because it is cool or represents some sort of status and there are those who absolutely love the outdoors and want to immerse their lives in it - I think we all know which applies to those in the Pass.
3. Passion for Community: I have yet to meet people with so much interest in their municipal politics. This is where I put a positive spin on how "locals" see it. I know everyone I chat with has serious misgivings about the current state of municipal politics in Crowsnest - partly because things are a mess and partly because people actually notice its a mess and care enough to talk about it. The attitude in most towns is "who cares about politics." Sure there are political issues but the point is that the people really care!
4. Willingness to Help: Be it trailbuilding, volunteering with events or helping when someone's (in this case, mine) building has been damaged in a storm - many of the people I have met are extremely generous with lending a hand. I was going to start listing people who I have noticed lending a hand but it includes too many people whos names I don't recall.
5. That "je ne sais qua". Jeez people are great to chat with, are welcoming, generous, funny - all combined - it is great people.

The relevance of this stuff comes full circle for me. When I was 8, my parents moved the family from South Africa to Canada. My dad at the time was 38, my mom 40. While my parents absolutely love Canada and appreciate the great lives we have all had here, I know they have one regret about the move. They left behind a group of friends who all had that "something special" kind of friendship. As a small child I could even tell. Groups of families 4x4ing in the mountains of Lesotho or hiking or going to nature reserves - me and my parents were surrounded by like minded people. Since moving to Canada, I know my parents missed it and so did I - not feeling much of a connection with people (or not often at least). So here I am. I'm 38; the same age as when my dad left those friends and that place behind. I'm realizing I have found that place where people like me feel at home.

I am now going to grab a power tool and make some noise - far too "feely" for me.