I have written, over and over and over throughout the past {almost} 9 years about being a small town girl. I've shared about my small town heart. About the way that growing up in a community where everybody knows your name lends to a certain kind of magic.
And then, a couple of years ago, just as I was on the cusp of a tornado of life swirling up around me and sucking me into a vortex of circumstances I could not have handled alone, I wrote about the small town heart. And how I was finally starting to feel like maybe, for my kids, it's not only the population on the town sign that makes a place magical. And maybe how it was beginning to appear that it may not wholey matter where you live. It's about the community around you.
I often say that I know the best people. And I feel like people might think I'm bragging. Like, as if I'm acting like I know all the big ta-dos and the namey namertons. But that's not what I mean. At all. Not one bit. What I mean is that I have realized over my short 35 years on this earth that who you know… who you know… well, that can make all your difference.
The first day we met our new neighbor two years ago this week, she greeted us with toilet paper. Because, sh stated, when people move, they never have tp at the ready. And I knew I liked her immediately. Then, a few days later, I saw one of their daughters outside and I shouted across driveways to the blonde haired girl , "hey. Do you like kids? Because if you don't, just say the word." She said, "yes!" And suddenly our boys had an Ellwee. And an eefa.
When the Middlest cut his head open, the doc came over to help. When the Oldest wanted to start playing basketball, their Middlest came out and assisted. And when I got sick, they were there. And here. They have become our community. And the neighbors around us… we're slowly putting down roots with them as well.
We found a smaller church about six years ago. A community of people with like-minded thoughts on churching and a flare for festivity and fun. A positively different type of style. And people who would go to the ends of the earth to help out whether you have a babe in the NICU, cancer, or just need help putting up a set of cabinets on the wall. People who show up. Who bring meals. Who bring laughter. Who we want to help, too. And know. Who help you grow in your faith and in your faith in humanity, simply because they are the goodness reminder you need every once in awhile. They have become our community.
And our friend groups here. In this "big" town. I have these friends who have given us every bit of everything you could ever want a friend to give. Their personal staff when we could not do it all. A swift kick in the ass when in need of motivation. An honest opinion when trying to choose which pair of earrings to pair with a top. The best Friday night with kids in the yard and music on my heart. Or the best Saturday out sippin' vodka and sodas and laughing laughing laughing. Taco Tuesdays complete with the understanding that judging anothers' parenting went out the window post-first kids. And rides on a golf cart in the middle of a Sunday. They have become our community.
And our school that I was worried about being "scary big?" Well. The counselor is one of the Oldest's favorite people in existence. The teachers they have had so far truly seem to get them. And are invested in our kids learning journey and emotional growth. And the Principal is approachable, kind, and caring. Oh. And the school families — the mamas who I love oh so much, whose kids I would be happy to have in my home every day — these people — they have become our community.
And today, when our washer was on the fritz post-vacay. When I was wondering how on earth I'd start getting under the pile of laundry. And when I found out the repair man couldn't make it until tomorrow. I didn't get too busted up because I knew I could just ask to take it across the street or around the corner. To my sister-in-law. Or my neighbor. Or my sorority sister/one of my besties. Because I have this community.
And so I've learned… it only took me just a bit over a decade… to truly embrace these people as my sweet home now. To know that I have family, friendships and connections from my first hometown, my college experience, my Austin life, and everyone from that stretch of time since 1982 until my current life that make up my "crew" of souls. And I have realized that even if you're not in the same location, it's in finding your community, your tribe, your my washer is broken can I use yours family that is what gives you life in your living. Because it was never really the hokey pokey but THAT — about community — that's really what it is all about.
And in communing with those who make your heart feel full and your world familiar and your life feel content from day to day is sometimes all it truly takes to get that small town feel.
