Tuesday Toast #2: Small Towns

Y'all... I can't tell you how much I miss living in a small town.  I mean, I have big dreams of picking up and moving somwhere like Chicago or Seattle, but there are other times where I dream of buying an old house in Edenton and fixing it up.  I love being close to the water and that's one of the things I miss about living back east.

But let me tell you a little story from this weekend.  Where my parents live now, there is a grocery store, a couple of gas stations, the BEST home store ever (she goes to estate sales and gets some steals), a florist, and a breakfast/lunch place.  I love going back to visit because it's just a different way of life than Raleigh where I constantly feel like I'm in a rush.

Friday morning, I went for a run.  Just a quick 2 miler.  I LOVE running in Jackson because it is so flat.  Wake County is so insanely hilly that I shave about a minute off of my mile time in Jackson.  The roads are also really wide because they have to fit tractors and tractor trailers through the main road.  The speed limit in town is 15 miles per hour.  People move to the opposite side of the road to avoid hitting me.  But let's be real, they also move to the opposite side of the road to go slower and get a better look to figure out if they know who I am or who my folks are.

So, with that in mind, let me get to the actual story.  On my 2 mile run, I was stopped at about .6 miles in front of the restaurant by this little lady.  She said "Excuse me, who are you?"  I told her my name and who my parents are.  She, of course, knew who my parents are because the town is so small.  I thought we were done talking, but she said "Well, I just thought you should know that we're all wondering who you are because people don't run around here."  I almost died.  She's right.  People don't run unless they're running from something.  I remember my dad telling people the first time that he saw someone running for health in Raleigh.  And apparently, my running whenever I come home causes quite the conversations back east.  It's adorable and hysterical.  My friend KP's husband thought the story was perfect because he is also from a small, southern town and completely understands! 

Where did you grow up?  Somewhere small?  A booming metropolis?  Ever had a story like this?  It still makes me chuckle!

xo,
post signature

Labels: