It’s another nice rainy day. A little dreary but sometimes I like it that way. In fact, it’s wonderful when one can stay home and enjoy it.
Scout seems to like darker days and enjoys the opportunity to be restful. Some may call it lazy but around here we call resting on gloomy days self care.
Also, how can that be a comfortable way to sleep?
I have some chores that need attention but first… I think I should see what this book is all about! I like a good thriller once in a while and this one comes recommended by heavyweights like Jeffrey Deaver and others so I’m hopeful!
Sometimes we just need a good book, sweet kitty cat, and the rhythm of the rain to keep us company.
Who here is ready for a road trip? I know I am.
There’s something exhilarating about watching the sun wake the day while you venture out to see what the world has to offer. When the weather is nice, I like to open the windows and I always have good tunes to set the tone.
One of my favorite things about a good road trip is actually ditching the car to explore on foot. There’s nothing better than finding a nice downtown, parking the car, and taking a walk.
That’s how you see the things the car window cannot show you. It’s surprising how many historic plaques, flower boxes, alleyway murals, and nice patches of shade you’ll find when beating the pavement. Of course, this doesn’t include the smells and sounds you miss with the windows rolled up.
Ah, I just reread that last sentence. I suppose I should change it to say “with the windows closed” but I’m a young Gen Xer and car windows in my vocabulary will always be rolled. And I’m ok with that.
On pavement, you’re more apt to wander into a nice shop or to say hello to a stranger. You may even find yourself enticed by the aromas of a bakery or cafe so that you go in to sit a while.
A good road trip always includes a good road trip snack and lunch. That’s part of the fun. I don’t make the rules. That’s just how it works.
Some towns reveal many secrets on these walks. Brick sidewalks and pocket parks, chalk drawings and cats in shop windows are some favorite things to discover.
I like to take pictures of things I see both to have a record of the journey and because it changes the way I perceive the world. Looking, not for the best picture, but the most honest one is my technique these days.
Depending on how far you go, a road trip could be just for the day or for many days. It could cost you some lunch and some gallons of gas or it could be an all out Thelma and Louise adventure. Just don’t end it the way they did!
By the way, I’ve been to Canyonlands National Park in Utah where they shot that movie. Now THAT was an epic road trip. If you ever get a chance, Utah is a wonderful road tripping state.
But there are things to explore all across this great nation. So exit the interstate and look for the interesting.
These little towns, city neighborhoods, and rural roads through forests and farmland are the beating heart of this country. It’s where life happens. So take the drive but remember the journey is the destination. Slow down to enjoy it. Slow down and make the journey fun.
PS- The dog pictured isn’t mine but I spotted him in a car parked next to me recently and he seemed like a good (if not judgmental) boy waiting to feel the wind in his ears.
Editor’s Note: This piece was first published on September 22, 2024. Today seems like a good time to revisit it as a gentle nudge that patriotism can be found, not just in the fireworks, but in the quieter places too.
Silence is underrated. So is being in the presence of history. Once in a while, I’m fortunate to find myself in a place so heavy with significance that you can feel the sacredness vibrate through your body if you know how to listen for it in the silence.
I’m grateful that I appreciate these things and that I know how to wait for the vibrations.
Day two of our Philadelphia adventure was marvelously packed with all kinds of good things. Breakfast from a cute cafe around the corner, the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross’ home, a ridiculously good lunch at an Irish Pub, shopping, and the list goes on. We really packed it in.
But at some point that day, we found ourselves having just escaped a chaotic place and standing on the sidewalk outside Christ Church.
This church was founded in 1695 and is the birthplace of the American Episcopal Church. This building was constructed in 1744 and the steeple was added ten years later thanks to a fundraiser organized by Benjamin Franklin.
Those founders of our nation who believed in the concept of separation of church and state? Many of them worshiped here.
George Washington, John Adams, Robert Morris (financier of the American Revolution, signer of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution), Benjamin Rush (signer of the Declaration of Independence, members of the Continental Congress and many others prayed here, knelt here and sought spiritual guidance for the revolutionary ideas that helped to build a new nation.
It was five bucks to go in and look around. Ten for a guided tour. All the money goes back to the preservation of the property and they have done a great job at that.
Friends, I got to sit in the pew where Betsy Ross worshiped. I got to sit as the world went by around me and consider the perspective that she had on the world while she was quietly sewing her place into American history.
There were a few other visitors like us. My friend chatted with a volunteer. I sat quietly and soaked in my surroundings. I wasn’t interested in talking or learning. I didn’t want to make new friends. I wanted to just absorb the air around me, to feel the pew, to notice how the floor felt beneath my feet and to appreciate the soaring ceiling that reached toward the heavens.
It was the most peace I have felt in a long time and I was beyond grateful to have that experience.
We were preparing to leave when three women marched in the front door, past the sign with admission details and started past the young woman who was selling admission tickets. She was extremely polite as she welcomed the ladies and let them know there is a $5 admission. The women looked annoyed and one said “well, it isn’t worth that!” They turned and left without even saying thank you.
Don’t be those women. Be a nice visitor. Pay attention to your surroundings and at least be polite to the volunteers or the low paid service workers who are there to help. Honestly, the experience I had in that old church was worth more than the price of admission. Not to mention, it goes to a good cause. Imagine the weight of responsibility being caretakers for such an important piece of our nation’s history.
I walked away completely at peace, breathing better and feeling more equipped to take on the rest of the day. It was well worth the time and money to have such a close brush with our nation’s past on sacred ground. Worship in person or visit them online for information.
My community took a hit this week when an unspeakable crime was discovered against sixteen children. The Ohio Attorney General called it the worst he’s ever seen. While they can’t share many details of this ongoing investigation, phrases like “third world conditions” and “pure evil” have been thrown about.
I live in the least populated county in Ohio. There are about 13,000 people in this county of 415 square miles. This is not a wealthy community and, like many places, we have plenty of problems.
But it’s such a nice place to live.
Our community is rural with just a handful of small towns. We are largely a bedroom community with only one traffic light and no Walmart. There’s a locally owned grocery, pharmacist and hardware. There are a couple of dollar stores and a number of mom and pop businesses. The University of Rio Grande just dedicated a new branch building here. There are very few large employers and a huge chunk of our population commutes outside the county for jobs. Remote work has been a Godsend for many. We are close though to towns with shopping, iobs and healthcare. Our idea of traffic involves farm tractors, school buses and Amish buggies. For many, money is tight and for many more that live beneath the federal poverty line, life is hard.
What we do have is rolling hills, miles of recreational trails through public lands, and a population that largely looks out for one another. It’s the kind of place where people still bring food when someone dies and where folks will check on their neighbors in a heat wave.
We have a growing tourism industry here. What we lack in shopping and amusement parks we make up for with outdoor recreation, unique places to stay (there’s a castle, tons of cabins, and even a hobbit themed Airbnb), and the small town authenticity that many folks from cities are craving.
It’s a good place to vacation. It’s a great place to live if you enjoy the quiet life.
This week has been rough though. This week, the decent citizens of my beautiful community have been rocked to their core.
Four people were arrested for endangering sixteen children who evidently all belong to their family. Sixteen kids from toddler up to an 18 year old were kept in their own filth in a 12 x 12 room. Reading between the lines, there is much more to the story.
First responders say that, a day later, they can still smell the place. There’s no getting rid of the smell. The prosecutor said it looked like something out of a third world country and that some of the kids were in such bad shape they may not have survived another day. The Ohio Attorney General said it was the worst thing he’s seen in his career. Neighbors say they didn’t even know there were kids in the house. There were no signs that children lived there at all.
The governor is offering whatever aid is needed to support the physical and mental well being of those kids.
It is sickening. It is tragic. It is one of the worst things I’ve ever heard and I’m struggling to comprehend that it happened here.
If you look around, our residents are seeking ways to help out and to support our first responders who have witnessed things this week that no human should have to see. People are collecting money to help those kids. They’re planning snacks and cold drinks for the first responders. They’re gathering to pray. They’re actively seeking ways to help in a situation that feels so hopeless.
The city media that doesn’t give us the time of day when amazing things happen here are suddenly sending multiple reporters from each agency for this one story. My Facebook feed is overrun with videos from press conferences and with mug shots of four individuals who look like monsters.
These people chose to live here but they aren’t from here. They’ve moved around a lot and somehow landed here in a small house in a small town with very big heart.
Now cue the hillbilly jokes. Cue the stereotypes. Cue the judgment against a population that would never condone such a thing had we known.
I have got to stop reading internet comments.
The Appalachian stereotype is alive and well. References to the movie Deliverance, statements that they look like everyone else here, and even remarks about the judge’s hair have been part of the discourse. Nasty remarks about the court system and the law enforcement community, about the intelligence of our population and about everything else you can imagine abound.
The media has long portrayed this community in a negative light. Internet comments have intensified the meanness toward our population and place but it’s nothing new. I’ve heard the judgement and the jokes for my entire life and have spent a lot of my career trying to prove them all wrong.
I think it’s important to note that these people have been moving around and abusing these children for a while now. It took them coming to Ohio’s smallest county with the fewest resources for anyone to notice and do something about it.
That’s the headline everyone is missing.
We may not have much but we pay attention and know how to get things done.
I am proud to be from Vinton County, Ohio. I’m proud of our citizens for looking for ways to be helpful. I’m proud of our first responders who played a part in giving those kids a chance at a new life.
Small communities are amazing places. I don’t care what the keyboard warriors say.
If you’re looking for a peaceful place, somewhere that’s not flashy with a good coffee shop and some amazing trails, consider coming here to see what life is really like in a small town. Rural America is so much more than the headlines tell you. So, if not here, go find another rural community and look for the good.
It’s there. I promise.