Rose is always telling stories about her hometown, St.Olaf, MN. It often would grind on the nerves of the other girls prompting Dorothy to say, “BACK IN ST. OLAF, BACK IN ST. OLAF, do you think that we might ever get tired of hearing Back in St. Olaf?” Roses reply, “Well no… Back in that town I’m not suppose to mention.”  Needless to say, their frustrations never stopped her from telling the tales of the town that she loved so much.

Having spent most of my life in the same town, I often find myself telling “back in…” stories and sometimes wonder if my husband or my new friends have the same reaction as Dorothy. No one has ever reacted to me in such a way, but I sometimes see the glazed look in their eyes!

I love my hometown. Granted the people were not as colorful as the ones on St. Olaf. There was no Little Yimminy, the boy who was raised by a wild moose. And no one in my town, (to my knowledge) was born without smiling muscles as was Old Lady Hickenlooper.  We did however, as most towns do, have some locals that everyone knew whether it be city-wide or just in the neighborhood.

I suppose that everyone finds their hometown to be special and likes to tell their stories. I have found that growing up and living most or all of your adult life in the same town isn’t as common as I assumed. Over the course of the past 3 years, I have met many people who haven’t been in one place more than a couple of years. At first, I was fascinated and thought that they must have wonderful stories of new people and places. It was not as exciting as one might think. After talking with them, I feel very fortunate to have only lived in one place. I am not saying that one way is better than the other, only that for me being in the same place for most of my 53 years was a good thing.

Now that I don’t live in my hometown any longer, I find myself telling stories about the people and places that are dear to me. Some of the stories which seem funny or exciting to me are not met with the same enthusiasm from people in my new surroundings. I have learned to save some of my memories for when I go back home. It is so fun to sit and reminisce with family and friends without having to set the stage or explain who certain people are and how you know them.

I could jammer on as Rose does about the people from my hometown, but just like Dorothy, your eyes would probably glaze over and interest would be lost. I do, however, want you to take this opportunity to think about your hometown and all the colorful people who have shaped your life. Some touch us in small ways and others have lifelong impacts that shape our personalities.

Whether you moved around a lot or stayed in one place, remember the people and cherish the stories. Take time to talk to people, especially the older people in your life. Write things down so that your children and grandchildren can read your tales. Life gets so busy these days and so much of it is spent looking at a phone or a computer screen. Turn them off, call a friend, make a cup of coffee and tell them about how things were “back in…”

 

Until next time…Thank You for Being a Friend

MLG