We Must Be in the West

Driving through the downtown of our fair hamlet on New Year's Day there was one car parked on the street. There was also a pair of horses tied up outside the only bar in town.

Living the High Life.

Book Review: New Slow City by William Powers

Just finished this book and I am conflicted about what I think. I guess I had high expectations and that may be the root of the problem. The concept behind the book is to transform life in a city into living like you would not in a city. Live the "slow" rural life within a large city and not be captured and forced to frantically chase the urban dream.  First the bad.

I began reading and was rewarded with ideas of how to take time in our lives to enjoy things instead of trying to do more. The idea of opting out of some of the hectic inconveniences and keeping the good events is something we all could profit from. But isn't that called making a choice? The decisions the couple make such as the wife working full-time, read 50-60 hours a week, and the husband working only two days a week allow him to backpack and loll around the city. This reminds me of small organic farmers working to create a farming lifestyle, only to find that one or both of the farmers have off farm jobs to survive. It like an M.C. Escher drawing, something just doesn't seem right. As the book progressed these thoughts and feelings became more prevalent to me. It eventually made me look forward to the end of the book.

Then I realized the author was living his life his way. Nothing wrong with that. I don't want to live in New York, but that shouldn't stop him. And Powers did have some good ideas about living and utilizing a large city. Choose what you can and want to attend or do. He did reopen my eyes to looking for the forgotten in all settings. Large city or small town, there are things we take for granted or forget. Powers remind me to open my eyes. That good was worth the read.