How quickly we adapt.
We have been in Mt Sterling for just over a month now. We have settled, somewhat, into the quiet town life. We are just 3 blocks or so from the main intersection of downtown. (Yes, residential areas begin with 3 blocks of down town .. In most every direction.) I don't know about the rest of the family, but I have grown accustomed to the pace of the town. Of course, some may say that I was living in the small town pace while living in Lexington, but, I digress.
I leave Mt Sterling (pop. 5600, 73 churches, 7 motels, 1 cinema, 1 drive-in, and 1 airport[where you can learn to fly]), between 6:45 and 7:00 am, to go to Winchester (pop. 16,378, 52 churches, 7 motels, 1 cinema, and 1 drive-in) to work. I do this at least 5 times a week. I have gotten used to slowed down pace of these small communities.
About once a week, unless we can avoid it it, we go to Lexington (pop. 268,000, over 230 churches, 68 hotels/motels, 5 indoor malls, 7 colleges, and 4 TV stations.) On a recent trip to Lexington, I stopped at a convenience store to grab a Diet Dew, as I was just parched. I sat for a minute in the truck watching the people. They bustled (yes, I used the word 'bustled') about. They were all focused on their path. They had that singularity of purpose. "I know where I am going. I know how to get there. I know what to do on the way. I know what to do once I get there."
That isn't to say that people aren't the same everywhere. However, I began to think about living in a small town. I have to say, in my opinion, one of the biggest killers of hospitality is being rushed. Most people just don't have time to be kind. In Lexington, that is like a dog chasing it's own tail. The faster you chase, the faster it runs away. Everything is a hurry up. Everything is a rush. People drive like they do because they are rushed. The rushing makes it worse.
Oh yeah, back to the first word of the post. Cloistered.
A cloistered community is closed in. It is mostly self-sufficient. It operates at its own pace. I noticed, Lexington has a pace. Winchester has a pace. Mt Sterling has a pace.
Yes, there are thing we cannot do in MS. There are things that cannot be done in Winchester. I am liking, however, the much slower paced MS. I like my quiet street with only the occasional honking horn after 9 PM. I like not living in a 24 hour community.
Lexington, you are the place of my birth. You will always have a place in my heart, but Mt Sterling is quickly becoming 'home'.
Cloister me.
We have been in Mt Sterling for just over a month now. We have settled, somewhat, into the quiet town life. We are just 3 blocks or so from the main intersection of downtown. (Yes, residential areas begin with 3 blocks of down town .. In most every direction.) I don't know about the rest of the family, but I have grown accustomed to the pace of the town. Of course, some may say that I was living in the small town pace while living in Lexington, but, I digress.
I leave Mt Sterling (pop. 5600, 73 churches, 7 motels, 1 cinema, 1 drive-in, and 1 airport[where you can learn to fly]), between 6:45 and 7:00 am, to go to Winchester (pop. 16,378, 52 churches, 7 motels, 1 cinema, and 1 drive-in) to work. I do this at least 5 times a week. I have gotten used to slowed down pace of these small communities.
About once a week, unless we can avoid it it, we go to Lexington (pop. 268,000, over 230 churches, 68 hotels/motels, 5 indoor malls, 7 colleges, and 4 TV stations.) On a recent trip to Lexington, I stopped at a convenience store to grab a Diet Dew, as I was just parched. I sat for a minute in the truck watching the people. They bustled (yes, I used the word 'bustled') about. They were all focused on their path. They had that singularity of purpose. "I know where I am going. I know how to get there. I know what to do on the way. I know what to do once I get there."
That isn't to say that people aren't the same everywhere. However, I began to think about living in a small town. I have to say, in my opinion, one of the biggest killers of hospitality is being rushed. Most people just don't have time to be kind. In Lexington, that is like a dog chasing it's own tail. The faster you chase, the faster it runs away. Everything is a hurry up. Everything is a rush. People drive like they do because they are rushed. The rushing makes it worse.
Oh yeah, back to the first word of the post. Cloistered.
A cloistered community is closed in. It is mostly self-sufficient. It operates at its own pace. I noticed, Lexington has a pace. Winchester has a pace. Mt Sterling has a pace.
Yes, there are thing we cannot do in MS. There are things that cannot be done in Winchester. I am liking, however, the much slower paced MS. I like my quiet street with only the occasional honking horn after 9 PM. I like not living in a 24 hour community.
Lexington, you are the place of my birth. You will always have a place in my heart, but Mt Sterling is quickly becoming 'home'.
Cloister me.
No comments:
Post a Comment