Not a Simpler Time, a Simpler PLACE Saturday, May 17, 2008 |
This morning an old family friend called, Tim Leightner is his name, about coming over to the house to pick up an industrial mixer her let our family borrow a loooooong time ago. I remembered the crazy man and his cheerful wife but we had not seen them in goodness knows how long. Their kids have grown up, Matthew and I have grown older, they've moved, things have just changed. When they pulled up in the front yard it was like nothing had really changed: that the friendships from years ago were not broken, that everything was kind of normal.
They got out of the truck and we talked (my dad, brother and I with Tim, his wife, and oldest son) for a long time as my brother loaded the mixer and Tim strapped it down with strap after strap. He's a pretty eccentric little man always telling stories and talks about gadgets he has or things he wants to build. But, I digress.
The thing I was amazed about as we talked with them was their tales of the new life they've found at their new 100 acre ranch in Plains, Montana. They still have their home here in Brevard, but live most of the time out there in the wide-open country surrounded by open fields, rivers, mountains, trees, and deer. They talked about the small town they live near that has everything you need. Like the fact that everything you need can be found at the Conoco station down the road. And, if a place doesn't have what you're looking for, well then you'll just have to wait but they can have the next day. The talked about everyone knowing who you are, people remembering you, and people knowing when you're new to the area. He even told a story of something he learned about at the local small grocery store. Apparently one of the frequent customers had a habit of taking the money from the "Leave a Coin, Take a Coin" change jar to pay for his groceries. After being told multiple times on multiple days to stop it the clerk finally reached across the counter and slapped him and it hasn't been a problem since. When he told that it made me think "That's what community is about." No, not violence or hitting someone, but about taking care of one another. The idea, that Tim presented, of "If your momma didn't teach ya right, then by-God 'we' will."
It's amazing to think of a place in this world where community is still upheld. Where life is simple. Where neighbors care for and respect one another. Where the land is beautiful and as untainted as it can be. Now I'm not saying that we all need to move to Montana (although their stories made the state sound so amazing), I just think that we can try to live that simply, that lovingly, with that idea of community and respect for ourselves and others on a daily basis.
Who would of thought that a visit from some long lost family friends would teach me such a lesson?