Community

 I grew up in a small town in the 1960's. What I miss the most about that are the stores. They were mostly what we call Mom and Pop stores today, a quaint reminder of the past. I wasn't aware of it then, but that is exactly what made those shops so nice. Each one had its' own character. That character reflected the ownership. Over time you knew what store to go to for what you wanted. If you wanted lumber, go to the lumber yard. Need hardware, go to the hardware store. We had stores selling newspapers and magazines. The corner Deli really was on a corner. All the different little places to go. 

 We didn't have any big-box stores back then, at least not within 25 miles of where I lived. You have to understand a drive of 25 miles was a journey back then, most people didn't drive that far unless it was a vacation! We lived and worked within that radius and I knew some that had never left it. We did have the catalogues. Sears, JC Penny and Montgomery Ward leading the way. At some point Fingerhut showed up. They filled our needs that weren't readily available in the stores up town. The truth was, they provided items cheaper than what could be had in those Mom and Pop stores. Mom and Pop couldn't stock 10,000 pairs of jeans and so the cost was higher. 

 The town I grew up in was a tourist town. It still is. Many wealthier folks had their summer cottages where they stayed during the season. Others came and stayed in the hotels or campgrounds. There were store that catered to them filled with the more expensive items of clothing, jewelry and foods tourists would buy. They were on vacation after all and would splurge. After labor day they were mostly closed, shuttered for the long winter months. That has changed and it goes year round these days. I'm told there are no more Mom and Pop stores left. From what I hear just a few shops attempting to ride on a legacy and nostalgia. The "new" people shopping there in an attempt to appear "local." That happens everywhere.

 I live in a small town today. We have a drug store, that's what us old people call a pharmacy in case you are confused. We do have a convenience store but Mom and Pop are "Indians" just not the native kind. It doesn't have the same feel. The Walmart is about eight miles away and I frequent that. Of course I use Amazon for a good number of things just like I used Sears back in the day. The local garage is still a Mom and Pop operation and I use them whenever I can. That still makes me feel at home going there. It is an old wooden structure, added onto a few times over the years, and smells like grease, old tires and sweat. No air conditioned "bays" or fancy diagnostic machines around there. Also you had better not be in a hurry, he'll get to it when he can.

 I guess what I'm really missing is a community. We talk a lot about community these days, but we sure don't have one. Yes there are small groups of people that gather and consider that their community. But in that small town where I grew up we really where a community. We all knew each other, we would wave as we passed each other, ask about there Mom and Dad or brothers and sisters. We argued with each other over community things. People had a sense of their station. 

 Yes, that was a real thing and it wasn't a bad thing. It was something you learned to live with, or worked to change. That was your problem, no one else's.  "Ambition is your inner voice that tells you you can and should strive to go beyond your circumstances or station in life." ( Lloyd Blankfein ) Today it appears to me that most people have lost all their senses! So busy identifying with a "community" they have lost themselves. Then, that is all they have left to cling to, desperately, anguished and in despair. Real community is found with Mom and Pop, in that little shop on the corner.