We made it! It’s spring and we are past our first winter here.

I’m certain locals will probably laugh but it’s a milestone for us to be here. Our porch is finally an inviting place where the breeze is a gentle kiss on our cheeks, the birds chirp in a melody signifying they’re back and bright colors are bursting everywhere finding their home on wild flowers in the meadows. It feels nice.

This month has all the usual growing pains that come with moving somewhere new. We’re getting used to the seasons, we’re still making friends, we’re under construction. Everything is in flux and some days it’s exhilarating, while others it worries me. Today was a good day. I’ve learned to cultivate gratitude for simply that.

I never imagined when we first moved how many young people would be here. Despite the fact that we’re young, I figured the vision we had and the potential we saw in Bryson City was singular. It’s not and I couldn’t be happier to be wrong!

BC Outdoors has been our regular hangout and it’s where we’ve met our new friends. They’re a mix locals and people who’ve made their way here from all over the US. Our home towns and stories are different, but the reason we relocated is always the same. We’ve come to Bryson City because there’s something special here.

This week, I wrote a piece for submission to a publication dedicated to showing a different side of the South. I never thought I’d have anything to contribute to the Southern narrative, but here we are, adding our imprint to this special region. It’s still a raw essay so I won’t share too much, but I will say it got me back into the curiosity and study of culture. I don’t believe culture is static: it’s metamorphic and ever-changing.

“The South is a process, not a product.” – John T. Edge

I love that quote. While I believe this is the case everywhere, I can’t tell you how pleased I am to learn its truth here. There is a surprising side to the South, a welcoming spirit that doesn’t get the same airtime its tired stereotypes do. We’re slowly making it home contributing our unique mark into its evolving footprint in American culture.

April in Bryson City looks like appreciating the talismans, habits, smells, fabrics and art we brought from all the corners of the world that have made us who we are; arranging them in just the right place in our new home, a fresh exhibition fitting for this space and time.