Small Town Life
by David Stoddard
Growing up, I lived outside of a small town in Oregon. Our nearest neighbors were the cows, ground squirrels, and a gravel pit. We had frequent visits from deer in the earlier morning as they dined on my mother's roses. Other rare visitors were rattle snakes, skunks, and a badger. Behind our home, there was a mountain with a gravel pit and a creek. During summer, we would hike along the creek, and in the winter, we would sled down the mountain.
The town didn't have a lot. There was one movie theatre. It played one movie once a day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The film would sometimes arrive only a few weeks before it was released on video, and it would melt or break during the climax. The fast food, restaurants, and stores were locally owned such as Burger Queen. This meant there was very little shopping in the town, and shopping was an exciting part of vacations.
It was a friendly place to live. We didn't have to worry about locking doors and drivers would stop, smile, and wave as you j-walk across major streets. You knew everyone in town and they all knew you. Rumors did travel fast in such a small community. One joke I heard was everyone knew what you were doing before you did.
In this environment, I became close friends with my four siblings. We did many things together from watching Saturday morning cartoons to running around the yard with squirt guns. We played hide and go seek, created our own worlds, and played games many other children play.
My loving parents taught me my first lessons in this town. I learned the importance of a good education, saving money, sharing, work, and forgiveness. It was during these years my foundation was set for the rest of my life, and I am grateful to my parents for all they sacrificed for me.
