Take me home, country roads...
About a month ago, I went on a little trip. Just a run down through the hills where my roots lay, a stroll through the greenery that my heart smiles to think of.
Though, the longer I stay down there, the more times I go without a clear goal in mind, the clearer something gets. I cannot be truly happy unless I am in the green. Be it the green woods of Miakonda or the rolling hills of Appalachia, I need that as I need the air that I breathe.
So many little things set it apart, really. Here, I know none of my neighbors. Everyone keeps to themselves, and it is as if they aren't even there. The ones next door moved in five years ago, and we still have no clue who they might be. After being yelled at for accidentally cutting a foot of their grass (our property lines aren't fenced in that area), I have no reason to.
Contrast that with home. I know everyone that lives up and down that block, from Dana next door to old Bill across the street. When my grandfather died, dozens turned out for the wake, even though he hadn't been active in anything for some years. What impressed me most, though, was this.
Grandpa was a Mason for 60 years, Lodge Master, High Priest, the whole bit. Hence, it was a no-brainer that he would have the Masonic Ritualistic service at the funeral home. Yet, before the service, when his Lodge Brethren were standing around waiting, some took the chance to talk to me. I said I wasn't a Mason, which is true, but that I intended to petition, which is also true. What response did I get? Universal support. One even said that the Lodge down there would be open to me for the Third Degree, whenever I chose to do so. That's pretty special. It wasn't just talk, it was knowledge that the family name means something, and I carry it with honor.
Maybe the cities of this nation were like that once. Maybe at some point in the future, they will be again, where deals are closed on a handshake, and your name is your entry. Maybe the power of the green hills will rule again someday.
Though, the longer I stay down there, the more times I go without a clear goal in mind, the clearer something gets. I cannot be truly happy unless I am in the green. Be it the green woods of Miakonda or the rolling hills of Appalachia, I need that as I need the air that I breathe.
So many little things set it apart, really. Here, I know none of my neighbors. Everyone keeps to themselves, and it is as if they aren't even there. The ones next door moved in five years ago, and we still have no clue who they might be. After being yelled at for accidentally cutting a foot of their grass (our property lines aren't fenced in that area), I have no reason to.
Contrast that with home. I know everyone that lives up and down that block, from Dana next door to old Bill across the street. When my grandfather died, dozens turned out for the wake, even though he hadn't been active in anything for some years. What impressed me most, though, was this.
Grandpa was a Mason for 60 years, Lodge Master, High Priest, the whole bit. Hence, it was a no-brainer that he would have the Masonic Ritualistic service at the funeral home. Yet, before the service, when his Lodge Brethren were standing around waiting, some took the chance to talk to me. I said I wasn't a Mason, which is true, but that I intended to petition, which is also true. What response did I get? Universal support. One even said that the Lodge down there would be open to me for the Third Degree, whenever I chose to do so. That's pretty special. It wasn't just talk, it was knowledge that the family name means something, and I carry it with honor.
Maybe the cities of this nation were like that once. Maybe at some point in the future, they will be again, where deals are closed on a handshake, and your name is your entry. Maybe the power of the green hills will rule again someday.
posted by Tirithien at 8:39 PM
7 Comments:
Hey Tirithien, I live in Ohio too. Hmm, maybe we ARE the same person ??????
oops. damn cap lock button.
Tirithien,
I too, long for the day when I can get the h--- outa Dodge and move to a small town, in either WV or KY, where everyone knows everyone. Where everyone wants to lend a hand.
Mountains, twisty, windy roads, neighbors not too close but never too far, TRUE friends; fresh air.
I hope you can go back someday.
It's a strange thing, to think of how badly humans need community and how in so many cases they seem to do all they can to isolate themselves instead. The myth of the self-sufficient urban dweller is just that, a myth. How strange; I've lived in my apartment for a month and a half, and have only met one of my neighbors well enough to know his first name-- and my town might even qualify as a small one.
An acquaintance of mine said that he greatly appreciated the big blackout in 2003, because it caused people to come out of their homes and talk with each other. He's not much older than I am, and he's been a city dweller his whole life, so this is not something he'd ever experienced before. When we talked it over, that strange experience of community, we both agreed that we felt cheated, in a way; that something was missing from our lives that maybe people used to have, or that maybe people in small towns in the hills may yet have.
The green hills, the trees, the rivers, yes, I know these well, and they do call to me. But then, sometimes the sea calls me as well, the bright green salt sea of the land where I was born.
I will be returning to those hills again soon. :-) Next week, I'm looking at taking a little drive South and tossing my tent in the car.
Hey there T,
Just popping back over, I wanted to say thanks for your contribution to my creationism/evolution post. Also wanted to say I fully agree with you in the coexistence of the two. I hope that I didn't insult you in any way by basically calling that other gal a chowderhead ;)
I responded in more depth in the comments and also posted direct in my blog a blanket followup response, if you come back to visit again. Just clarifying a few things I seemed to have skipped over. I was a little tired and irritated when I wrote the original post ... I'm not as dumb as I come across. At least I hope!
Have a great weekend ~
The two have to coexist. :-) Sadly, much of the world believes it is a binary system, 1 or 0. They cannot grasp 10.
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