There’s a
lot to be said for the people living in small towns. It has taken until midlife for me to fully
appreciate how fortunate I’ve been to grow up and remain in a small town where
so many people know each other, know a friend of a friend, know my history and
lots of my fun stories from the past, and know my face.
Having
begun dating my husband in middle school and now married 26 years, I am not
unusual in my small town. Most of our
friends have dated nearly as long and have been married even longer. It’s commonplace.
There’s a
sense of acceptance, community, and a deep stability to people who stay in
their small towns. So many of these
people I know in my town are “family folks” talking highly of their family’s
traditions and their upbringing – the good and the bad with equal acceptance of
what is.
When I sit
around friends’ dinner tables, sharing a home cooked meal, a green salad, a
baked dessert and listen to the conversation, I can’t help but feel grateful
and in admiration of these hard working, good souls. They’re no nonsense. They work, raise children with an honest
depth of character, they plan family meals, they budget and scrimp pennies. We talk about where to get good deals, the
changing color of leaves and the turning to fall once again, about our kids,
our parents, our successes, and our failures.
I raise a
toast to all my neighbors and friends in my small town. You make my life rich with your presence,
your conversation, your friendship. You
make me proud of where I’m from and so proud to be associated with you.
Photo: Prouts Neck, Maine
