There’s a moment after every move when you stop thinking about where you’ve come from and start noticing where you are.

Not in any dramatic way. It’s the accumulation of little discoveries.

Around here, there are farms with roadside stands where you can buy fresh berries, vegetables, flowers, or whatever happens to be in season that week. It feels wonderfully unhurried—a reminder that food doesn’t have to travel halfway around the world before it reaches your table.

On drives up the Patricia Bay Highway, there’s a field where alpacas and goats seem to spend every sunny day grazing together. I still smile every time I pass them. I don’t know whether they’re intended to brighten commuters’ mornings, but they certainly brighten mine.

My neighbourhood has winding cobblestone walkways that encourage walking rather than rushing. They make even an ordinary errand feel a little more leisurely.

Then there’s my balcony.

One of the first things I set up after moving in was a bird feeder with a little camera. I had visions of becoming the neighbourhood bird photographer. Quite conversely, I’ve since discovered that someone across the road has not one, not two, but four bird feeders on their balcony. Apparently I’m competing with the avian equivalent of a luxury buffet.

Still, every so often a sparrow stops by, perhaps deciding that waiting in line at the other establishment simply isn’t worth it. Those brief visits are enough to make me smile.

Inside, the apartment is beginning to feel less like a place I’ve moved into and more like a place I’ve created. Each picture on the wall, each piece of furniture assembled, each familiar object finding its place adds another layer of “home.” There are still boxes waiting in Thunder Bay, and next month many more of the things that have travelled through life with me will finally arrive.

But I’ve realized that a home isn’t built all at once.

It’s built one happy surprise at a time.

And that’s really what this summer has been: a succession of little discoveries that remind me I made the right decision. A mountain view around a bend in the road. A goat lazily watching traffic. A sparrow paying a brief visit to my underdog bird feeder.

None of them is life-changing.

Taken together, though, they’ve quietly changed my life.