Home Town Proud!
I was standing in line the other day at a local coffee shop when I happened to hear a conversation of two patrons behind me. I usually don't eavesdrop on others' conversations, but one of the girls said
something that had a profound effect on me...and not in a good way. One of the girls knew quite a few people in the coffee shop and she offered them polite 'hellos' and 'how are yous?' I thought it was awfullly nice until the friend said, "God, Emily, you are so small town." She squooshed up her nose and began texting to others about how small town Emily really was. "It's sad, really," she added.
Now, I was unaware that being from a small town was a bad thing and apparently Emily was just as in the dark as I was as she looked at me wide-eyed, shrugging her shoulders. I returned her shoulder shrug with a high-five and told her I was right there with her and proud of it. Emily's friend was unamused by mine and Emily's camaraderie, brought together by cities that boast fewer than 10,000 people.
After saying good-bye to my new found friend, I found myself thinking more about this grave misfortune of being from a small town and I found myself a little heated. Small town does not mean small minded. Little cities do not mean fewer ideals. A quaint village does not equate to stagnant living.
I am a third generation Galesburgian and extremely proud of it. I could walk down the streets and people would ask me if I was Sally Bishop's daughter or Stan Bishop's granddaughter. See that smile above? That's the smile I wore in my town. I was completely content where I was and extremely honored to answer the affirmative of being related to my mom and grandpa. I felt safe that people knew me...or at least who I belonged too. I loved that my mom would quiz me on where I would go if I was ever at home alone and felt unsafe. I never could think of just one person as there were many but I always chose the Sullivan's from across the street because one of my best friends was Tim Sullivan. We were the best of pals and, boy, did we have big dreams. Many of Tim's dreams came true...he married his beautiful high school sweetheart, had four talented and charismatic kids, traveled to many places and is a true success at life.
As I drove on and sipped my chai latte, my heated disposition cooled and I had warm and fuzzy feelings all over thinking of what being from Galesburg taught me:
1.) You come home when the street lights turn on...or the tennis lights go off.
2.) The community really does raise you. This can be a little sketchy when you are teen trying to get away with, well, being a teenager only to find out that someone already told your mom. In the end, getting caught really was for the best.
3.) Help is only a few doors away.
4.) Great acceptance of those that march to their own beat.
5.) Locking doors is overrated.
6.) If you forget your wallet at the local grocers, they trust you to go home, empty your bags, and return with the money.
7.) Just be decent
Trust, kindness, community!! Please don't think that by me declaring my love for Small Town USA means I don't love the big city!!! Oh, do I ever. I even imagine myself somedays living in a loft overlooking Seattle, NYC, or Austin but there will always be those small town roots growing deep within my heart telling me I can grow anywhere because the seeds that were planted gave me the confidence and bravery to bloom where ever I stand. (Cheesy analogy, I know, but hey!)
Take my friend, Kimberly. She's on the far left. Isn't she cute? She's from Galesburg too.
Her mom, Nancy is in the middle. She and my mom went to elementary thru high school together and are great friends. Kimberly is super cool. She is the closest person I know that would be perfectly cast for a reality show "Success in the City". She is sophisticated, suave, beautiful, successful...and she moved to the city. Chicago, NYC and Chicago again. Cabbing around to the trendiest places the city has to offer and attending sky rise, rooftop weddings looking as fabulous as any Hollywood icon I have ever seen is a part of her life now. She loves the city life and I once asked her if she would ever move back. She answered with an emphatic 'No!' And here's the thing. I believe her, but when she comes home to see her family, she is just as comfortable sitting on the couch talking with her hometown friends. We reminisce about the time my sister and I hairsprayed her golden locks into a five pointed star, put ridiculous makeup on her and had her ride her bike across town making scary faces at cars that passed by all to earn money for an ice cream cone at the root beer stand. She did it and many cars honked and cheered her on. Kimberly is my friend that starred in many garage performances of our version of local theater. We would write plays and act them out in my garage inviting neighbors who would applaud us as they sat on over turned buckets and milk crates.
Small towns and their communities are what I know best and that is why I chose to write about them in my books. Perhaps that is why I might have been more atuned to Emily's friend's valiant miss at an insult. But as I turned into the drive of my new small town of three years, I made a vow to myself that the next time someone tells me that I am small town, I am going to offer them a high five and say, "Thank-you." Who is with me?
