Monday, August 30, 2010

Small town life

Getting used to the pace of small town life is definitely an adjustment from Washington D.C. Page doesn't really have places to have bakery cafes to hang out in, a farmer's market or a diverse newsstand. As much as I miss those things, there are a lot of things to like. I run into people I know almost everywhere I go--at the grocery store, at the ATM, in the post office. So over my lunch hour when I realize the post office doesn't sell tape and debate whether I have time to run the store and back, I run into a friend from work who has a roll of tape in her car. I coach a middle school running program and run into people I know from church. On my first big trip to the grocery store, people kept asking me if I needed help finding things.

In this town, most stores are closed on Sunday and people place importance on family. Sometimes I like escaping the endless political debates that seem to go nowhere and 24-hour repetitive news cycle. Most people who live here would never live in D.C.

I like both places. I like the city, and public transportation and evening events and millions of choices. I also like this place--stark and beautiful, peaceful. I love that it truly gets dark at night, I worry less about locking my doors, it feels friendly, running into people around town. And I think there is a value in understanding both places and how they work.

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