Small towns are fun and colorful because of individuals who know no boundaries , fail to be politically correct , live outside the norm , and could care less about society’s expectations.  Walking to drummers that no one else hears , they become the heartbeat of the community , the individuality that is so precious.

Looking back over the years , several come to mind.

DINK  :  a special person who had few skills but the one he championed was speed !  The local high school back in the day had no band , so no half-time entertainment during football season except for Dink.

To much cheering  ( and small wage betting on the side ) Dink started at one goal post and ran the length of the field until he ” scored ” under the other.  Fun for the fans and win-win for Dink.  One upstanding citizen had a stop watch and a betting winner was declared…….. It was truly Dink’s night to shine, and shine he did.

BILL :  a little different , but a hard worker and a friend to many.

One day he joined a group of men at a local drugstore ( a center for small talk and gossip for the male population ) , excited because it was his mother’s birthday and the family was planning a celebration.

And so he shared with the group,  ” Today is Mother’s birthday.  She’s 66 and I’m 33.  When she was  40 , I was 20 , and when she was 20 , I was 10——– HELL , that ain’t right !!!!!!  ”  This tale traveled all over town and made everybody’s day.

BROWN :  telephone operator who sat upstairs in a downtown building with many windows and monitored all town activities , respecting no one’s privacy.

She could tell ( and would tell ) who was running around with whom , when the undertaker picked up a body and who it was , which ladies used which beauty shop , where the fire was when the siren sounded , who shopped at which grocery , where the ladies were going based on their attire at the time.   She was the town crier , the telescope , the magnifying glass , and if alive today , social media.

My friends and I would call Brown if we couldn’t reach our parents , and she would tell us where they were and ring the number.  Valuable ?   You bet !

WALTER : local banker on the square who was unhappy with newly completed sidewalk.

The sidewalk was added in front of his bank , and the design and size displeased him.

His house was some 2 blocks away , and he was back and forth at least 4 times a day  :  to work , to lunch , back to work , home for the day. For years , until he died ,  he never walked on the sidewalk , but , rather , took to the road , holding up traffic and creating chaos.   Stubborn does not even describe him.

MARIE  : life-long resident , childless and  widowed , living alone in the family home , with her two dogs who were her family.

When the dogs died , they were buried by the fish pond in the backyard , and when she died , her will stated that they could never be moved.  Selling the property became a challenge—-and more.

A court order was sought and received and the dogs were moved to the edge of the property , fenced  and identified.  The remainder of the property was then sold.  Still, and always , a monument to a woman who had her priorities , regardless of the consequences…………….

Would I change a thing ?  Absolutely not !

These anecdotes——–these people——-teach us that life is not a bowl of jello , but rather a buffet ……..not a puddle of water , but a living ocean……not a single paragraph ,  but an entire library.

Thank God for diversity, differences, and individuals………….and small town living !

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