Growing up in a small city town in the United States has taught me many things.
First, my town will be associated with the nearest notable city to everyone I meet outside of the state. For me, I am from Wenatchee, Washington and even though it is 2-3 hours from Seattle, everyone thinks I'm from Seattle. Nope. I'm from the middle of nowhere. There's sagebrush and animals and mountains and a big fat Columbia river running through the area. We probably have the best tasting water ever. But also, there is nothing quite like getting a warning from your neighbors that a mountain lion is on the prowl just outside our homes.
Second, reputation is a weird thing. Anything that is maybe news is news and it will get around. You thought wildfires spread fast, but the news of the neighbor's neighbor moves faster and everyone with quiet judgement looks over each other's fences, before they share what they've found out with everyone they know. Their gossip is writhing with coarse assumptions and speculation. Everyone loves kind of loves knowing everything there is to know about the reputation of the area and the people who live in it.
Third, it's quiet. It's boring. It's conservative (not what you would think since it's WA).
Fourth, in its simplicity, there is beauty. Nature is not far away. We are surrounded by hills and mountains with the river and the land at our fingertips. It is good to be here to stop moving so much, to spend time with family and the ground which we come from. Sometimes I think these hills could be alive with the sound of music, because they give me a feeling hard to describe. It's a feeling of being grounded yet alive, almost fulfilled, not needing or desiring much else. I think that's why I love hiking so much. I can be in nature and feel at peace with who I am and with God.
Fifth, it's a lot slower-paced than larger cities. At times I want to get the hell out of Wenatchee to do something, anything, with my life. But other times (short periods of time) I want to savor being in a place where I can remind myself not to go go go every second of every day.
Purple Days.
~Analise
Comments