We Love Richmond
When David and I moved to Richmond in 2004 from San Francisco, we had visited our parents here many times, but didn't really know the city. I grew up in Texas, and he spent most of his life in Florida. Oddly we met working at an ad agency in SF and both had parents who moved to Virginia for their encore careers. It has been a gift beyond knowing that we have been able to raise our children surrounded by grandparents, an experience neither David nor I had growing up. To watch our parents leave comfy careers for their new chapters and rock them has been inspiring.
San Francisco gets such glory in the creative world. There is no question that it’s a city with magic. But RVA has something special, too. It’s a quiet, sleepy creative magic in Richmond, and we’ve been watching it unwrap like a gorgeous present over the last decade.
One of the many cool companies in town is a Ledbury. They did this Sunday Shirting series where they would interview cool, creative people around Richmond and David got to be part of it. Check out their blog article.
Because Richmond isn’t as big as San Fran, I’ve found the speed to meeting new and interesting people is fast - especially if you know what you’re looking for.
Example: I was following Paul Trible, one of the founders of Ledbury, on Instagram. A video of a gorgeous woman talking about “Painting the town Purple” in honor of Alzheimer’s Awareness caught my eye. Not two nights later, we were at the 1708 annual Art Auction fundraiser and Paul and this blonde, Brit Trible, walk in. She happens to be his wonderful wife and a geriatric physical therapist. I quickly introduced myself and hugged her for the work she was doing in the Alz space. Her connection to the disease was through her patients, but seeing it daily - she connected with my story immediately.
A passion for the work nonprofits do in the world. A desire to help ideas grow and change lives. The powerful life energy one feels with others who are seeking the same, action-oriented good. Richmond’s wicked cool art scene that empowers the imagination to be whatever it can dream. Finding creative people doing their thing wherever they are planted. Watching God, the Universe, whatever you want to call that power that is bigger than us and connects us all, do its thing day in day out if you are able to pause long enough to appreciate it. Thank you life. Thank you for these treasures of this human experience and so so much more.
Thank you Richmond for bringing us to you and supporting our family to be whatever we can dream of… Cheers to continually dreaming, learning and becoming.
Lotsa Love,
Leah
