Sunday, October 16, 2011

small town life

I don't very often get the chance to make the trip to south Georgia, where I grew up, but this weekend work brought me home. As I travel around the southeast I guess I tend to forget many of the nuances that make home, home. I have always joked with folks that I'm about half a towner, but after living in cities that are much bigger than my hometown for the last 15 years I have decided that I'm a lot more than half a towner. Maybe 85% towner. Of course, that is not to say, I don't enjoy being around home in fact there are not many things in life better than coming home.  The point I am trying to make is I have gotten a bit soiled by living close to cities that are a bit younger, or more progressive, or maybe just bigger than the home of the Syupmakers.

The people that know me any at all, know that I'm about as comfortable in a dark smokey bar as I am any where else in the world. And most any town that I find myself in, I can always find some kind of dive to pass a few hours in after a day on the road. I have to say though here in my hometown it sure looks like the closest thing I'm going to find is a not going to be dark or smokey or even have a bar stool. Bummer right?

The distinct lack of night life is not the only difference that is apparent right away. At home, and a lot of towns on the road, it doesn't matter what time of day, or day of the week, when you need to go to town to pick up a few things you can go and find them. That task is a little more complex in this small town. After we knocked off work this afternoon I had supper with a few family members, and then wanted to buy a pair of shorts to run in. At seven o'clock the only store that I could find open was the anti-small town store, Wal-Mart. I'm not sure why it strikes me as odd that all the stores are closed on Sunday, but it does. Do people in small towns not spend money on Sunday? And if they don't, why not?

Don't get me wrong I'm not being critical of small town life, I'm just wondering why is life so much different in small towns. For the most part I could not tell you the difference in the people here and in bigger towns (cities like Atlanta not with standing). Both sets seem just as happy and fulfilled with what their surroundings offer them. I guess people become accustom to whats around them, and take the good with the bad.  
     

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