Hometown Feelings
The hubs and I have had heated discussions about why I glorify my childhood upbringing in the country. Many of my stories about being young actually involve me resenting that very thing – being out in the country. There was a time I thought it was cute to tell people that I left because “I didn’t want shit on my shoes or hay in my hair anymore”. Oh it makes me cringe now. I didnt realize how great I had it. Revisiting little cow towns, and vineyard rows made me better understand the feeling of my hometown, and why I want my kids to have the same feeling.
We drove past little homesteads a couple of weekends ago where there are patches of mud in the driveway, the house paint is chipped, the barn looks like it’s made of matchsticks, and the cow-dotted fields smell like maneur. I love that smell. People buy trucks and run them into the ground, where they then sit for years until someone’s 16 year old buys them for $500. I remember sitting around old round oak tables with that orange-hued stain and thinking nothing of the decor. The scenery of our yard and home were nothing special or Instagram fame-worthy. The wine glasses never matched. But they were good enough for us. The simple backdrop that had no trendiness or pretense made the company and the laughs the total focus.
The humble home created great characters.
The life took work though. Because we didn’t care for convenience and comfort. It made us happy and connected and engaged with our home to work on it and around it. It was a place with meaning and function. It’s a soul feeling to combine your sweat and footprints with the dirt in your yard. The hard work meant relief when we rested. I love the people that life produces. The hospitality it evokes. The humility. Last year’s fires scarred the town here, but was nicknamed the 10 lb fire because the local hotels,restaurants, and people all chipped in to feed the firemen so damn well that they gained weight because of it.
That’s my town. Those are my people. It’s really quite simple: Work hard. Do your best. Give what you’d hope to get. Love big. Live small.