Small town livin'

Someone mentioned to me today that they were envious that I had lived my whole life in the same place.

The majority of the time, I think that, too.

Most kids (myself included) spend their whole young lives looking forward to venturing out into the world. For me, when it came down to leaving, I realized how good I really had it.
I was blessed to find my true love early, blessed to have a good family whom I enjoy being around, blessed to choose a profession that allowed me to stay close. My son gets to see his grandparents almost everyday and I hardly ever see a strange face.

We live in a very small town (around 5,000 people), so we also get to enjoy all the benefits and annoyances of small town living. I have a very minimal fear of kidnappers and burglars (even though I'm aware that anything's possible anywhere). There's not a rush hour (or not what most people would consider rush hour). On the 4th of July, we have a huge get together at the park and I would bet you that 90% of the town is there. Sometimes, in the summertime, at dusk, my neighbor plays his mandolin/banjo/accordian. In the fall, Friday night is the biggest night of the week as the local football teams face off.

We have a cool mountain heritage. Some country music legends, several famous authors, a couple of NFL players, Daniel Boone, that sort of thing. Some people call us hillbilly-ish or redneck-ish, and sometimes, we are. You can get an excused absence from school on the opening day of hunting season. Anything that interrupts our everyday, mundane lives is cause for a big to-do. We live in the South, so there's sweet tea, chicken and dumplin's, fried okra, fudge, and gravy and biscuits.

Plus, ya know, there are the awesome views.

Disadvantages, you say?

I'm in too good of a mood today to bother.