Sunday, October 7, 2007

Small towns


I had a really nice weekend. I drove out of town, taking the back roads to Augusta, GA. I like going through small towns rather than driving the interstate. These are the towns where every one still knows your family and where the old "dead" buildings are still allowed to stand. I agree with another blogger that I read, it's nice to see old buildings still standing. It seems that their "soul" is taken away when they are torn down. Once proud, they now stand as reminders of the town's past. I like the idea that they are still there.

My home town used to be like that. Now it boasts a Super Walmart and all the little Mom and Pop stores have closed up. It takes away the uniqueness of a place and makes it the same as every other urbanized area. Just more McDonalds, WalMarts, Kangaroo Gas Stations, and endless strip malls.

I used to take for granted the beauty of the countryside where I grew up. Now all I can see is how the large corporations have ruined the landscape. I remember a hill overlooking a hay field where I would go in high school when I wanted to be alone. I would sit by the edge of the woods and look out over the rolling hay fields and feel such peace. When I was in college I went back to that same spot and looked out over a whole field of patio homes. Every one looked just like the other. It made me painfully realize that nothing remains the same, no matter how near perfect it is. Someone or something will come along to mess with it.

Life is just like that. Just when we have found something that is beautiful and moving, someone or something will likely try to mess it up. I'm grateful that this program helps me keep going during difficult situations where I have a potential to really mess things up. I'm finding more and more that my life feels altered but in a good way. I can still appreciate the beauty of life and all that it has to offer even during the most challenging of times. There is so much to learn and so much more growth to have.

6 comments:

  1. i get very sad when i see old buildings being torn down for new, shiny, glass fronted buildings with no character whatsoever. history and a different way of life disappears when that happens. i said to the bean the other day: 'you sound like a stuck record', and then i had to explain to him what i meant. that's change!

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  2. Every building has a story. Maybe that is why I love to do genealogy. Old cemeteries, houses, neighborhoods, churches all have something to say about a life that once was.

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  3. I always want so bad to run peek in the windows of old abandoned houses. I used to love the old movies, where people would move into an old shack and paint it, and clean it up with beautiful curtains and quilts. I'm with you, scenic drives are much better than the interstate.

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  4. I always take the long way. Just as I have through my life. I am so grateful that I am learning to appreciate the journey now.

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  5. I wish I could go back and take some pics of the houses I once lived in. I know I would see my young self there..but now the houses are torn down to make way for progress. At what cost?
    When I drive by old houses I have to wonder about the memories there..about the people, the children, the good times. Old houses always make me feel sad.

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Let me know what you think. I like reading what you have to say.