November 3, 2010

Thanksgiving - Day 3

As a young girl, I couldn't wait to leave. To shake the dust off my Bass blucher moccasins and get out of this town that never understood me. Suitcases in hand, I tore out of here eager to separate myself from the smallness of my life here.

It wasn't long before I accepted the fact that the very thing I didn't want to be defined by was the one thing that defined me most.

I am a small town girl, and I'm thankful.

Thankful that I live in a place where my morning commute is slowed by tractors and trucks carrying hay bales rather than stop lights and cars with horns blaring;

that rush hour traffic means that my drive home takes 15 minutes instead of 12;

that if I forget my wallet, I can walk into the bank and get money from my account;

that I can feel comfortable when my daughter spends time at her friends' homes, because I've known their parents since we were children ourselves;

that she has classes with first cousins and can ride the bus to my parents' house;

that my town is the kind of place where you can buy a pumpkin in the gas station parking lot;

that the post office has a dry erase board with birthdays and community announcements.

So what if I listen to Yo-Yo Ma while driving a truck? This is where I belong.

Today, I am thankful for home.




7 comments:

Carrie said...

=D I love it. Your town sounds much smaller than mine (we're a town of 50,000) and even that is starting to feel too big. But we're a university town and so the population fluctuates around holidays and in the summer and it's much calmer and peaceful. So I'm grateful and we love where we live. And so long as we stay off the highways, we don't get stuck behind the tractors that travel around to all the local farms! ;D

Anonymous said...

I am a small town girl too. I never knew I would miss it until my husband and I moved from city to city in the military. When he retires, we are going to find the smallest town possible! We are in a great community here in Kansas so I am thankful for that.

-Aadel

Lisa notes... said...

Count me in as one of the small town girls, too. And love it. We live next to a fairly large city so I still get the perks when I want them, but without the hassles when I don't.

I have a niece who sounds exactly like your beginning here; she's ready to shake off this small-town business and move to NYC in 2 weeks. I pray she's ready for it! But she can always return home if she changes her mind...

rosemary said...

Sounds good to me! I'm still a farm girl at heart...

Subee41 said...

Oh, I would jump into your shoes in a heart beat. I come from a small town, (the nearest grocery store was miles away). Now I live in Phoenix, AZ and don't like it. What should be a 20 minute drive takes an hour. I can't remember the last time I saw a sky full of stars. Neighbors politely wave if you are both out in the front yard, but no one bothers to get to know you. I have asked God why, many times. He has made it clear to me that this is where He wants me so I must learn to be content.

So how do you get money out of the bank if you forgot your wallet?

leslie said...

I love the description of your small town...makes me feel a little homesick.

Leah said...

I wish I could love my small town the way you do yours...