Small Town, USA

This week I am enchanted by the beauty of a small town. I love Holbrook and am grateful that this is the place I grew up. To me Holbrook is a great size it’s big enough that not everyone is living on top of one another but small enough that you can usually find a familiar face in Safeway. However, I know that not everyone shares my opinion on life in a small town. The main reason I hear for not liking Holbrook is; “there is nothing to do”. I don’t see this as a problem. As far as there being nothing to do, well it is true that there are not many typical” teen hang out” places in town. However, I think that the lack of hang out spots make us, as teens, more creative. I do not spend time at a mall like most teens; instead I am outside climbing mesas, playing tag in Safeway, or whatever else I can think of. The lack of typical hang out places has forced me to be more creative; and in the end I believe I have more fun.

The next common complaint I hear is “people are too nosey”. Yes, that may be true but I am sure that you will find nosey people anywhere. However, it is magnified by the frequency in how often we run into those people. In a town like Holbrook, it is hard to run an errand without running into someone you know. This is the compliant that I, personally, struggle with. I constantly have people trying to “help” me with my life and telling me what I should do with it. When I get fed up with it, I try and remind myself that people only do this because they care for me. The real reason that most people are nosey is because they truly want the best for you and are trying to keep you from harm. So, I guess, being in close contact with nosey people is really a positive. It shows that you are surrounded by people who care. As annoying as it can be; it is part of what makes Holbrook beautiful.

The beauty of Holbrook came to me last week, when I was changing the Marquee at the movie theater. As I climbed out of the window to get to the marquee I was thinking about how few people can say they have changed a marquee at a one screen, privately owned theater. Now- a-days that is really uncommon. Movie theaters are part of some chain franchise that is run by a manger; not the actual owner. But that is not the case here, in Holbrook. As an employee, I love interacting with the actual owners. I love that they know all their employees. It makes me realize that they care about the theater and its employees. Also, I like how small the theater is. I know the customers better and it is neat to have customers who came before the theater was re-opened 10 years ago. The inside has been remodeled, but they can still remember what it looked like before, and the integrity of the place is still there. This allows them to go back in time for a few hours.

If Holbrook was a big city, places like the theater probably wouldn’t be around or at least wouldn’t be the same. Very few places would be privately owned. Most businesses would be franchised and look and feel the same as in any other town. If Holbrook was a big city it would lose all the character and originality that comes with a small town. In other words, Holbrook wouldn’t be as beautiful.

Produce Aisle

Have you ever gone to the store and looked at the vegetable section and think, “Gosh this is beautiful”? Well, that is exactly what I saw this week, beauty in the produce aisle! What made it first catch my eye was the simplicity of picking out vegetables. You simply grab one look at it. If you think it’s good, you take it, if not, put it back and move on. I have determined that the reason I suddenly see the beauty in simplicity is that I have recently been in the state of mind where it seems that everything is changing. Changes are coming, not just in school, but in the world. I see elementary school kids with cellphones instead of Barbie’s. Classes are now being taught without a teacher in the room. I am not saying that change is a bad thing, but sometimes I just want a constant; something tangible that is not always changing. That is where the produce aisle came in! I was in a massive tailspin about how much things were changing when I went grocery shopping this week, but luckily the beauty of the produce aisle actually calmed me. It may seem funny that, to me, the produce aisle beautiful, but it is. I love that, for as long as human beings have bought vegetables, this is the way they have done it. They pick it up; accept or reject it; and move to the next one. Sure, the building and vegetables themselves have changed but the principle of looking and picking out which specific vegetable you want has stayed the same. I like the thought that, even with all the new technology and accessibility, the way we pick vegetables has stayed the same. It is comforting for me to know that not everything needs to be changed or have a 2.0 version. Some things are perfect just the way they are!

That is my big over thought this week; not everything needs to be complicated. Sometimes the most beautiful things in life are the simplest. Often times, I feel that the simple things are the hardest to find. If others are like me, I often tend to look for beauty in something flashy and complicated. Because of this belief, I find that I often miss out on the beauty in the simple things in life. As I focused on the simple things, I saw the beauty in just watching the sunrise, laughing with a friend or picking out vegetables in the grocery aisle.

Maybe that is why it seems that everything is changing to the point it is overwhelming. I am so overwhelmed by change because I don’t take the time to notice the items that never change. I get so caught up in finding the next new thing and the latest items that I lose track of the constants. This week, I discovered the key to not letting change overwhelm me is to look at the consistency and simplicity that the world has to offer and to fully appreciate it. All it took to remind me of this was a quick trip to the grocery store; I guess the world gave me the answer I was looking for: in a simply beautiful way.