Lovely observations and a lovely family, if I might be so bold to say.

I grew up in the American heartland yearning for the big city. I got my wish eventually, living in West Berlin, Montreal, and for a decade in Manhattan. I loved living in New York City, but it was exhausting.

I've returned to my more rural roots and find myself yearning for the city again, but I know now that huge metropolises are a wonderful place to spend time, so long as one has something more bucolic to return to.