The Joys of Small Town Life

What are the joys of small town life?

I had time on my hands this afternoon and I dropped into Anderson's just to chew the fat. Dean Anderson was busy, or looking like he was busy, so I chatted with his employees and with his mamma.

Then I dropped next door at Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker and chatted with Sue and a couple getting ready to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. They'd come to BBC to get their cake - or maybe they came because they were ordering the cake - or because they had ordered the cake and found BBC a nice home away from home. I'm not sure, because I'm fundamentally not a good reporter.

Then it was out to Scott's.

I think Scott's is just the greatest. I get into the store three or four times a week. I've gotten to where I know most of the employees, by sight if not by name. I get to cheer for the young cashiers and bag boys when they announce their graduations, their promotions, their trips to colleges.

These are the joys of small town life. I know people here in a way I didn't in Chicago - even though I was a fairly open and glad handing guy there. I knew people there, but it wasn't quite the same. Here I know just ordinary people, there I knew people who were something or who thought they were something.

Like Emily Dickinson I know that I am nobody special, and it feels good to be friends with all the ordinary people, the folks who won't make a great splash in the world, in other words, the people just like me.