I went to the shops to get a few things for lunch, namely one of those cans of Big Eat curry jobbies (the difference between it being substandard and pretty good is two teaspoons of chili and cumin), and had a really nice walk through a refreshingly light rain, and on a whim I sat on a bench outside a church, under a tree for ten minutes and just watched the world go by. The Kelburn village shops in Wellington is a really nice spot, with trees and nice looking houses and a view out over the back hills of the suburbs. A lady with a husky dog walked past and said hi, and all was right with the world, at least until some bastard in a huge white van rocked up and spoiled the view. Some people just have no sense of timing.
One of the things I'm really coming to love about Wellington is the sense that a lot of it is made up of small, easily digestible village spots that you can dally around in, or get to know as part of your neighbourhood. What are your favourite spots where you live?
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When I drive through suburbs I get this terrifying feeling like these are all just little units for storing people when they're not useful. Or else they're little isolated bubbles where people go to pretend that they're not surrounded by people.
What I love about Aro valley is the sense that people are living their lives there - not just waiting to go somewhere more interesting, or trying their best to pretend it doesn't exist. The people sitting in the park, the activities at the community center, the cafe, the fish and chip shop, they all give a feeling of people connected to other people, of people valuing each other as people, as something worthwhile, rather than just a unit, a wallet with legs, another obstacle between them and whatever they want.
I love to walk through Aro and see all the familiar faces, smile at people, see people enjoying their lives, and feel like I'm part of that.
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