Main Street-

After watching the presidential debate this phrase kept repeating in my mind- .."Main Street vs Wall Street" I know they were referring to the financial community vs the hometown people etc but it sparked other thoughts to me.

I thought about growing up - enjoying being mostly invisible. Our family moved from large city to large city about every 18-24 months. My dad was a financial executive for an oil company- actual several- so as the industry changed and moved we did too. Since I was transplanted so often it became easier to "just be me-invisible" rather than try to fit into the the well established groups that I encountered. I was shy by nature and craved no spotlight, so it worked well for me.

Everyone had their own life and they didn't intertwine much. Nobody had a grandma near by and there were never any family reunions in my world. Only everyone living far away and having no real attatchments to one another. Having grown up in a small town, my mom loved it. She used to say that in a small town everyone knew your business and told you how to conduct it. You couldn't be yourself. I never did quite grasp all that.I had friends and don't remember feeling lonely but I never did feel "at home".

As an adult , living in a small town , I feel a kind of accountability. I know that if I throw a fit about something I don't like at Misses- I will live to regret it- because I will be back and they will remember me!!! :) Makes me less likely to act an idiot!! In a big city you can act an idiot and then avoid the consequences by avoiding the spot you acted as such and never "feel" the sting of your actions. I'm not sure but I think learning to restrain myself has been a good thing- maybe even a godly thing!

Home was when when I went to my grandmas house in Palmer! She never moved. Things were the same year after year. The same people were in town from my earliest memories until now!! That's Main Street if you ask me!!!!
I wanted to stay planted somewhere so that my house could be HOME for my kids and grandkids when we settled here on Providence. It is that to us and I believe it is for my kids and grandkids.

But as I was thinking about it lots of little vignettes popped into my head!
The ONE remaining independant grocery store in town -Misses;Seeing Old mr George there until he died and then Henry and now David!
It was the Christmas Parade on "Main Street" ;watching the kids( ok and the adults) race after the candy
-It was VEE's Donuts;Ms Vee and now Katina
-It was the Cal Cam fair and Sulphur High Football craziness!!! The stream of queens that never ends and Friday night lights!
-It was Amazing Grace- Frank & Liz- Gwen and Barry
-It was seeing Johnny, still riding his bike and smiling that huge smile as he collects his cans and Gary Shay as he waddles his enormous body through the streets making contact with his "friends" who help him out.
-It's driving down a back road of Sulphur , seeing a car coming toward you and then realizing it's my son in law when he swerves to meet me head on and then swerves back laughing and waving!!! And doing it again in the next block as he passes Sara ! That's when "being home"- here - right here- feels good!!!!

Time passes so quickly- and people change so rapidly that unless we grab these sweet moments our life would indeed be only a grind! Only a daily "getting up-going to work-coming home- and starting it all over again in the morning" existence. Maybe everyone doesn't need the comfort of the familiar but as a 50+ granny it's a pretty good thing!!
I can only hope my grandkids "feel" it when they do come here.