Recently I was strolling out of a
local store when two young men
rather surreptitiously approached
me. Being of advanced vintage,
I immediately knew that chances
were they were not about to ask
me out on a date. After a pause one
quietly said under his breath "need
any eggs?" After politely declining
I drove off smiling. You see, if you
were anywhere else, a parking lot
sale would probably involve weed
or sex not eggs. Only in Lewistown!
It's times like these that remind me
of how different we truly are from
most of the natives. Much like Mr.
Oliver Wendell Douglas, I'm still
transitioning to a very different life.
Fortunately I don't have to climb
atop a telephone pole to talk to the
outside world. Instead I simply log
onto my computer each morning to
catch up on the latest gossip. Given
I'm straddled between two worlds
it's easy to be a bit conflicted. Must
I pick sides or can I have it all?
To shop at the nearest Target one
must drive over one hundred and
twenty miles. Thus it's easy to live
in a bubble. Our accouterments all
came with us from the big city.
Hence when home, it's hard not to
be delusional. Like Miss Havisham
one can opt to live out one's life in
isolation. Yet that's not the reason
we choose to move to Lewistown.
Now we just step outside and are
immediately transported to rural
reality. Who said pigs couldn't fly?
It's the little things that I'm unable
to adjust to. We continue to be deep
into the task of outfitting our abode.
It's not unusual to need something
suddenly. Sadly it's apparent that
few locals seem to have a need for
the things we desire. More often
than not they're unavailable or just
one sits dusty on a shop shelf. Who
knew I would corner the market on
the silliest of things such as hangers!
Guess I'll have to get my act together
or simply learn to do without!
If one didn't know better, one might
assume an outsider could leverage
their external knowledge on a local
basis. However we already have many
stylish and smart folks residing in our
rural region. Even when like souls are
gathered, I always learn something new.
Meanwhile the balance of locals seem
perfectly happy being who they are.
Therefore I doubt that any sort of urban
charm school is a viable pursuit. Good
news as I wouldn't want it any other
way. That's a reason I left Manhattan.
Ever wonder why I've opted to be
a fish out of water? It could be that
I prefer to be an outsider rather than
member of the pack. Owning what
may be the sole Birkin in the state
does offer up an odd sort of appeal.
However if no one else knows what
you've got - it really doesn't matter.
Living outside of the grid forces one
to look at oneself - not others. And
with that process of elimination has
come the realization that I still have
plenty to learn about being "me."
You see, most of what goes on in the
big city is "fluff" at best. While quite
entertaining, it's not going to save the
world. There's little as exhausting as
keeping up with the competition. After
years of doing just that we moved as far
away from it as was possible. While
style is still a part of me, I may finally
have figured out how to put it in proper
context. Now I'm quite happy living in
the manner that I'm accustomed to in a
place where nobody cares what I do as
long as I don't bother them. Paradise!
