I think one of the questions most people have on their minds, at some point or another, is, “Can I or do I want to live where I am for the absolute rest of my life?” If a person hasn’t asked him or herself this question, they’re either not old enough or are content where they are. Laura and I are content where we are. Although, I’d say we’re content because we’re relatively young and are able to handle the natural elements that are thrown at us. I’m currently healthy and strong enough to shovel snow and split wood. Will we be this content when we’re in our 70s? 80s? 90s? Will I still want to deal with snow and firewood then? We’ve discussed topics like this quite a bit and have come to the conclusion that there’s no one place on earth that’s perfect for everything all of the time, rather, there are multiple places that are perfect for some things some of the time. While I’m frustrated by realizations such as these, I’m also a realist and realists need to recognize reality for what it is.

Did you know that the country of Scotland covers 30,414 square miles? And that the state of Maine covers 35,380 square miles? Those numbers are pretty close to each other. Coincidence? Perhaps. Or, perhaps these two land areas are so similar in so many respects that they should be considered twins. I won’t say that Scotland gets nearly as cold as Maine gets or probably nearly as hot, but both areas offer their fair shares of both low and highlands, flying insects, coastlines, and funny accents that no one from anywhere else can understand. Laura and I live in Maine. We like Maine. We also talk about liking Scotland. We think about it a lot and we like what we see on the internet. We’d love to visit one day, which is what inspired me to write this post.

October’s always a good time to visit us up here in Maine. I actually wouldn’t advise stopping by during any other month. Back in 2014, Laura’s parents visited in June and then her brother came in August. And then, the next year, my parents visited in July. While seeing our beloved relatives was wonderful, the weather was far from it. And when the weather is hot, humid, and downright miserable, I get in a bad mood and don’t want to be around anyone. That’s not abnormal, right? I mean, who wants to be around people when you’re sticking to your couch? Ugh. I hate summer so much. I never used to hate summer, but that may be because I used to swim every day. Now that I don’t do that, I hate the summer.