It’s The Little Things
In the movie “High Fidelity,” Rob Gordon and his music-obsessed friends pass the time by making “Top Five” lists of their favorite songs and albums related to different scenarios they encounter in daily life. Today, in an effort to cultivate gratitude for the places we are and the lives we live, I’m making an All-Time Top Five list of little things I love about where I live. I invite you to do the same.
The rules for this are extensive (not really) and are as follows: nothing sarcastic. For instance, if I listed “train delays” when talking about loving where I live, that would be a facetious answer. I love our rich railroad-related history. I do not love getting stuck at train tracks when in a hurry to get somewhere.
Got it? Great! Here’s my all-time top five favorite little things about my town. Making this list brought me many smiles, and my wish is for your list to do the same for you.
#1. The Gold Willow Tree
I spend a good deal of time in the mornings out at my husband’s family’s timber, walking the dog and enjoying nature on the trails my husband and his father carved into the woods. Across the street from the property is our local golf course. At the southeast corner, near the road, there is a big, beautiful willow tree. In the fall and winter, the foliage of the tree changes from green to a deep, brilliant, almost metallic gold. It’s easily visible from the road, and it reminds me daily of the beauty of change, and the value in each season.
#2. The “Old Hole”
My favorite park in our community is a small piece of land on the northeast side of town with a pond, surrounded by a walking path and often inhabited by ducks. It backs up to corn and bean fields, and is the best place in town, in my opinion, to watch the sunrise. It goes by a different name now, but it used to be the old swimming hole in town. You can tell if someone has lived here a long time by what they call this park, and I love that little bit of our town’s history found in passing conversations.
#3. Tops of Downtown Buildings
I know it may be strange for me to be this specific, but the tops of the buildings are my favorites because it takes effort to notice them, and they really are quite grand. We have outstanding brick work on our historic buildings, and I love to gaze at the patterns. I like to think about the skilled craftsmanship it took to build them, and the heyday of the town, when the upper stories were gathering spots, apartments, or the dwellings of the shopkeepers that ran the businesses below. The passage of time, decades of decline, a horrific explosion, and harsh weather in summers and winters have taken a toll, but many of these architectural gems are getting new life with the effort our city and conscientious building owners are putting into revitalization. Looking up, to me, tells me so much about where we’ve been and where we want to go as a community.
#4. Brick Sidewalks
Another tangible bit of history is the continued existence of hand-laid brick sidewalks in several areas of town. I like to think about the feet that have walked these well-worn paths. The generations of children skipping to school, the thousands of workers who sauntered home after a day keeping the railroads going, and the families, perhaps gathering for holidays, who may lovingly pause to look down at the familiar brick and smile before walking up to the houses in which they grew up.
#5. Kindred Spirits
In a small town, I sometimes feel as though I was plucked off another planet and plopped down into the middle of a wholesome family sitcom from the 1980s. I dress weird. I talk weird. My job is weird. Fitting in isn’t a thing I feel happens a lot for me. So, I find pure joy in those unexpected “hey, me too!” moments with people I’ve never met or, even better, known on an acquaintance level for a while. A shared love of a band or an artist. A connection over an odd little irrational fear. An unexpected nugget of personal info dropped on a casual conversation that makes me want to learn more about them. A shared love of one of the other four items on this list. One of the best things about living in my small town is there is always more to learn, both about my neighbors and from my neighbors.
What’s On Your List?
I truly believe we can cultivate joy through gratitude, and that it’s the small stuff that adds up to true contentment with our daily lives. I’d love to know what you’re grateful for in your idyllic life. My email is below in my bio—drop me a line and tell me what simple things bring you joy. Then, keep that list handy to remind you just how good you’ve got it, when all is said and done.
Sara Middleton is a correspondent and columnist for Mid-America Publishing and resident artist/owner of Studio Sol Gallery & Creative Space in Eagle Grove, Iowa. Email her at sara.studiosol@gmail.com or find her at http://studiosolllc.com
