i live in a small town

There are less than a thousand humans, a handfull o wild turkeys, a plague of squirrels and i don't have a clue how many dogs and cats and at least one fish, Bruce, that lives in a glass "condo" on the counter of Gretchens Cafe Culture. Whew, long sentence. I sort of live at Cafe Culture myself. The cafe is my lifeline. It keeps me sane (well, reasonably sane). I don't know what I would do without it.
We are exraordinarily wealthy here, in this small town. Some people have a ton of money, but that is not what I consider "real" wealth. We live on the edge of a very fertile valley. Lots of food everywhere. Water, too. Western Washington gets drenched with rain from the Pacific Ocean. The area is resource rich. More than that, we here in La Conner have a legacy that subtly hangs in the air and mitigates the rush-rush side effects of modern life. Even though the town is about a dozen blocks across, it can take an hour (or even a whole day, for me) to get from one side to the other. Community. You get to talk to people, get close and be open. Or, if you feel grumpy, someone will be concerned and allow your mood. I love this community. I am so fortunate to be loved by so many people.
The legacy, a history, a remaining tendency that "hangs in the air", was created in the past and colors life here. La Conner drew remarkably creative and talented people into her arms. Artists, musicians, scolars all came and lived here. It was vibrant and alive. I stumbled into town at the tail end of that era and benefit from that.
As I said, I live at the cafe. I don't sleep there, but I might as well. It has been soothing to me, healing. I was and still am a walking wounded, scared(healed wounds) and scared(fearfull), sensitive, forelorn, lost. I am getting better. I have undergone a remarkable internal renaisance here. I am gratefull.