We are fortunate to have four new friends in our lives. Cathy, Harry, Gail and Nancy live and work in New York City, they love it there and have devoted their lives to improving the lives of others and defending those who need defending. I call them the city mice visiting the country mice. They bought a beautiful house nearby, bought a car and come up with their dogs and cat whenever they can.

They love the city, and they love the country as well, and we look forward to their visits. We talk so easily and openly with one another, we seem to spring from the same well. Like Maria and I, they seek lives of purpose and meaning and have traded security and wealthy for the chance to try and do good. We have a lot in common with them, and love their visits. Cathy came by yesterday with some flowers from the city for Maria, whose birthday was last week.

Cathy had some tea with us, and we talked about the idea that if you try to do good, life will take care of you, even if you don’t have a bank account stuffed with IRA’s. I think that is true, I believe in that, so does Maria. We have helped the city mice to get acclimated, they have taken to life her very quickly, I think they know a lot more people than we do already.

Her florist is a city florist, floral arrangements are an art, the florist an artist,  hanging on in the face of gentrification and skyrocketing rents. One day she will just be gone, like so many other creatives in Manhattan.  It is a beautiful arrangement, a great gift in the gray days of winter.  It brightened our home. The city mice are becoming country mice, they are putting their lives in great balance, they have enriched ours.

I have taken this journey, from the ordinary world to this new one, it has transformed and challenged me. I see this happening to them as well.