HOME TOWNS

(sigh)

I try not to write too much about where I grew up because I realize most folks can't identify with the specific place. But indulge me today please.

I was back in that home town for the day last Saturday, and every time I'm there I can't help but wonder what would have become of me had I lived out my life there. I think I've mentioned that there are still many wonderful people with whom I went to school who remained in their roots, went to work, raised families, contributed positively to the community (and still do). I have a great deal of respect for them. I assume they're happy and prosperous and are content with what they've done with their lives.

But I don't think I would have fared that well there, even though I have many fond memories of the place. Truth is, I have some not-so-fond memories of it, too, and 44 years after moving from there those memories are the most pronounced. Even though times were much simpler then, I can remember being very, very bored with small-town living. There were two movie theatres, both owned by the same organ-playing drunken guy whose eccentricities were legend. One of the theatres had to close because of a family of bats which occupied the upper level and could never be eradicated. There was a big, old hotel on one corner which DID fascinate me because it was pointed out to me that several of the town drunks kept rooms there. I'd always walk gingerly past the hotel on the opposite side of the street but stare at the few folks on the long, front porch to try to discern which were the drunks.

There was a dime store at one time where you could buy penny candy and which always had the freshest, warmest cashew nuts imaginable. And of course there was a record store where you could buy the latest 45s and try to get owner Johnny Panton to sell them to you for a nickel less. A man ahead of his time, he was. LOL

There's no need for me to mention the memories that are not so pleasant except to say that I looked forward to leaving there, which I did, and I've not regretted it for a minute. I've lived in many places over the years, some of which were ALSO small towns, and I'm amazed at what those experiences have taught me about people and how much I've learned about community spirit. Selma, Alabama, at the time I lived there, was recovering from the civil rights conflicts of the mid-sixties, but it was an enchanting, laid-back town full of southern charm. Richmond, Indiana, was the most amazing mid-size town and I feel as if I'm "home" the few times I've been back there. Denison, Texas, was a dying cow-town, and the folks there were dying, too. But Wichita Falls, Texas, another mid-size town, was a thriving and typical Texas city and lots of fun. Fairfax, Virginia, was (and is) cosmopolitan, affluent, crammed with the elitely educated. Crammed with traffic, too. It's impossible to get around there any more. I'm now in Fredericksburg, VA, and have been here for 22 years. It's having growing pains but still is a great place to live with lots of history, culture and wonderful people.

So when I visit the town where I grew up, it's impossible not to compare it to some of the above places. Each community is different, has its own flavor, and offers something positive to the folks who opt to live there. Even MY home town.

And that's a good thing.

(sigh)