I Love This Town

I was sitting in my local coffee place, doing some things for work on my laptop and I completely eavesdropped on the conversation next to me. It was two men, probably mid-thirties, talking about how much they hated the town I live in and how happy one of them was to have left (it sounded like they were visiting his parents for the weekend). The content of their conversation was basically about how backward the town is-- sheltered, weak, close-minded, etc...

Fair enough. To each his own. They have every right to feel the way they do.

But it got me thinking about why I love the town I live in so much. I've written about it before-- the fact that it feels homey and familiar. I thought those were the basic reasons why I love it, and to some extent, that's still true. But today, I think I figured it out even more.

I took my aunt to the ER today. She was having trouble breathing. She's been through so much, health-wise, over the past decade or so, and I guess this sort of thing isn't too uncommon for her. She's in her eighties, but she's feisty and lovely.

When we got in the hospital, everyone knew her. They took such great care of her-- from the nurses to the admin staff, they had her laughing and smiling and just made us feel so comfortable in what was a bit of a panic. It helped. A lot.

That's why I love this town. Nothing feels like it's been "corporatized". It's real people who really care. It's about being down to earth. And even though I sometimes get frustrated with a lack of understanding by some, I'd put up with that limited frustration any time because of days like today.