I spent today visiting my parents, buying groceries, & discovering a new business I didn’t know about. It made me think about life in a small town & my life as a small town girl. I thought I’d share my ponderings about that today. No pictures today of the things I’ve been making or great deals for the weekend. Just some ramblings from a brain melted by the hot South Georgia sun!
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I Grew Up Here
I have lived in the same town all but 11 months of my life. The first 5 months of my life we lived in a different town, the town I was born in. Of course, I don’t remember that! For about 6 months after I met my husband, I lived in his hometown. Then, we moved back to my home town because he got a new job.
I’ve always enjoyed living in a small town. After high school, everyone couldn’t wait to leave, but I was content to stay. My family is here & I really don’t like moving or big cities. It never really occurred to me to leave & go off to college in some place far away – like my son did!
My roots are pretty firmly embedded in the soil of this town. I’ve bought a house, planted trees, & work at a school I graduated from. This is just where I’ve always been & I’m comfortable here. The only thing that’s even made me consider moving is the ding dang heat! So hot right now y’all! It’s like I’m inside a biscuit that just came out of the oven & I’m the butter melting in the middle!
A Small Town Isn’t Always Small
Today I took some clothes & such to a place I didn’t even know existed in my small town. It’s a small business called “Southern Belle’s Gifts & Thrifts”. They have booths with hand made goodies from different vendors & make custom T-shirts. The only reason I found it is because I was directed there to drop off things for a charity drive with the school. The owner is graciously letting them store the things in a backroom until needed.
I couldn’t stay to look because I had groceries sweltering in my car oven! I’ll be visiting again to do an interview & take pictures for a blog post soon.
This just made me realize how things change so much in a small town. There are always new things being built & new businesses opening. Every time I go to an event in town, I meet new people from here & other small towns.
Small towns are full of makers & entrepreneurs.
Small Town Faltering
As much as I can list things I love about living in a small town, there are always things that are not so great. For one thing, I can’t go to the store without expecting to run into someone I know. Especially since the main place to buy groceries here is Wal-Mart. Man, was it busy today!
That’s not really that bad, but sometimes, small towns can become stunted & not grow like they need to. I recently learned that my small town is listed as the poorest town in the state of Georgia. That really hurts!
The only way to overcome this is as a community. We have to be open to change & growth. The students I teach are always talking about how they can’t wait to leave. They need to know that the only way it can change is if people stay and make it better.
I just want to say – support your small town! Get out there & visit new businesses, especially small ones. Encourage our youth to help make changes. Join a club, start a club, share your talents with your community. Community is what makes a small town great. Let’s not forget that!
I think I’m done rambling for the day! I hope y’all will take time to learn more about the people in your communities & surrounding communities. Get out, maybe early so it’s not so hot, & check out your town. I think you’ll discover there’s more than meets the eye at first glance!
Have a great weekend y’all!
