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.