It occurred to me yesterday while I was doing my domestic chores and thinking about what I should write about next that maybe people would want to know more about me so that they would be comfortable following the blog and commenting on posts. So.....
I grew up in a small town in southwest Ohio and am the oldest of 3. My sister is the poster child for the definition of 'middle child' and then there's my brother the youngest-the only boy in the family and yes kinda spoiled. Its true growing up we didn't have/get everything we wanted but my parents made sure we had everything we needed. Especially their love and support of our dreams and goals.
Growing up in a small town was pretty great actually. You could ride your bike 'uptown' to meet friends at Jerry's Restaurant or the Tastee Freeze for ice cream or over to the Lions Club park for a game of tennis (which I was horrible at) or a picnic. I was thinking earlier of all the years we decorated our bikes and got to be in the annual Fourth of July parade...I wonder if on the 4th there was a brigade of kiddos on their red, white and blue decorated bikes peddling through the streets of my hometown.
I was the first in our family to go to college and I remember coming home for visits and going into some of the local stores and having managers/staff tell me how proud my Dad was and bragged about his 'baby girl' off to college in the big city. He was a local delivery driver for a beer distributor and it seemed like everyone knew me as "Charlie's girl". Gosh, that seems like a lifetime ago now.
Lots of things happened in my early adult years and looking back I can see what I learned from all the experiences-good and bad-and how they shaped my life and the person I've become.
I was blessed to have the privilege of having my Mama live with me (or I lived with her if you looked at it from her point of view) and was able to take care of her during her illness. She's been gone fifteen and a half years now and sometimes it still seems like yesterday.
I've lived in Central Iowa for 15 years now. Moving here to be closer to my brother and his family after Mama passed. I've been fortunate to work at 2 great companies, made some awesome friends; been very active in the church I attend and am a founding member of a project to establish a Compassionate Ministry Center in the metro area (more about that another day).
And that pretty much covers it.
So did you grow up in a small town or the city? And do you now live in a small town or the city and which do you prefer? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!
Me? Well I've lived in both and while the benefits of living in 'the big city' are vast and many; at the core I'm really still just a small town girl. So I've compromised a little...I live in a suburb of Des Moines that still has that small town vibe and get all the advantages of living in the big city as well.
Thanks for visiting and come back soon!
Robyn
I grew up in a the city of Des Moines. As I grew up and my parents were not paying my bills I moved to smaller towns. My favorite place of all was a cabin that I rented in the woods. My children and I loved it. No close neighbors. We did have raccoons come knocking on our door,literally knocking. I named one stumpy for he had no tail. It was the peace and quietness that we loved and the true nature. No hustle and bustle all the time. But for now I am back in the city until I find another cabin.
ReplyDeleteI can actually see that....its definitely you!
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