I live in a small town that has a heart. People are friendly here. They meet your eye on the street and say good morning and god bless you. I live downtown, right on the banks of a river. The river runs high in the springtime, but there's always enough water to float a boat. There's rapids out there somewhere. In my town there's a post office, bank, grocery store, bar, coffee shop and city hall within walking distance. Things may be a little slow, but folks aren't leaving, they're sticking. It's a hub--people come from the hills and valleys all around to get supplies, mail, and news. They come on Sundays to go to church. They come for the music and entertainment, too. There's some kind of public transportation that comes through here sometime. Train or bus, I don't care, but some way that people can get here without a car. Maybe the locals pick up hitch hikers, that would work too. There are also a few outdoorsy people passing through, on their way to the river and the mountains.
My place backs up almost to the water. There's a strip of land behind the buildings where nobody much goes. I have a door that opens back there. The waterfront isn't developed, it's just back yards connecting to empty lots. It has a big sunny spot where my herbs grow great. There's one big tree with a sitting spot under it. I've got a small storefront, a couple small rooms, and an apartment in the back. Outside the front door I keep pots with flowers and a bench where folks sit. The store has herbs and potions, a few odd foodstuffs, books and a section for local produce and crafts. There's a counter at the back, and my medicinary is behind that counter. Dried herbs, a drying rack overhead, tinctures, salves. Commercial supplements are out of sight, only natural products visible. There's another counter at the front where my store and phone girl will hang out. She sweeps the floor often, waters the flowers, greets everyone cheerfully, and keeps a candle lit whenever it's not sunny. The walls in the front area are a sunny Mexican white, and warmer as you go deeper into the building.
Back behind the counter in the small rooms between is my office and library, my examination room and interview space. It's dark and quiet in there, not too many windows, but feels warm and safe. Private. There is a fireplace in the study. I have big comfortable chairs for my visitors, and a table for their things. The colors are magenta, turquoise, plum and dark wood. The clock ticks, it doesn't blink. There is a small altar, a place for a candle to be lit, a photograph to be leaned, a flower to be placed. Just sitting down makes you want to stop and stay there.
Farther back, at the river end of the slot, is my small living space. So small that people don't really believe I live back there. A simple bunk, a place for my shoes and bags, a small kitchen with gas burners and a stove. A table by the window. My outdoor gear is in the shed. It will gradually get dispersed depending on where I live. I will have the equipment suitable for where I am; kayaks and river gear, backpacking gear, bikes and cross country skis. I wouldn't mind if there was a ski area with lifts nearby.
There are wild lands all around, and cascading streams coming out of the mountains to join the river. Old farms lay fallow. Some of them are being cultivated again, people are returning to the land.