Dirt Roads & Tadpoles

I grew up on 1.5 mile stretch of dirt road 5 miles east of a town that is 20 miles from the nearest Walmart.  I loved it.  I don't think I thoroughly realized how great I had it until I left.  That's always the way it goes though right?  I've known for a long time that suburban/urban life is not for me.  As in pretty much the second I left to go to college.  I have been trying to move back to a small town and live in the country since I moved to Texas 6.5 years ago to start my teaching career & my "adult life."

This last time I was home though it hit me really hard.  It was the tadpoles that did it.  I was taking Nash for a walk down the dirt road when I saw dozens of tadpoles in the puddles that had formed in the ditch because of all of the rain.  All I could think about was how badly I wanted to be able to share that magic with my future kids someday.  I want my kids to get to catch tadpoles, to lick the salt block in the pasture just to see what it tastes like.  I want my kids to collect umpteen precious rocks in their pockets, to get to see the miracle of birth whether it be a calf or a chicken.  I want my kids to be able to lay on the ground & see the stars at night, to try to catch lightning bugs in a jar.  I want my kids to experience the magic that is growing up in the country and in a small town.