I'll also confess that I "lost" two followers yesterday and that I dislike being bothered by that. It may be related to some shifts in Google's blog programs. On the other hand, I am approaching TEN THOUSAND visits to my little rambly world (likely get there before the end of the month) which is pretty cool!
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I’ve been wondering how to bring this little series to a
close. I missed last week due to illness
and also because I’ve told my biggest Bellefonte tales. Someone gave me a great concluding moment
today (writing with hot cocoa in hand on Saturday after the snow arrived), but
I’ll get there….
In the end, the reason Centre County feels like home is
quite simple. It is cheesy to say but
true nonetheless: It is the people. This
is particularly dramatic after a four year stint in Boston where I fell on the
sidewalk more than once and no one seemed to notice. I don’t think they were purposeful in
continuing to walk when I slipped, but they were plugged in to headphones and
just failed to notice. During the week I
spent in a full leg brace, people usually did offer a train seat when they
noticed. They just didn’t always
notice. There are good people
everywhere, but there’s a level of commitment to being a community in our
region that stands apart.
It’s really the smaller moments more than the big stories
that make a place home. It is the
friendly chatter of the cashier and the “Get Well” wishes when I’m buying a
basket full of cold remedies. It is the
fellow gym patrons who welcomed me back after a four month absence with smiles
and inquiries about how I was healing. It
is the chatter in the physical therapy office about recovery and everything and
anything else. It is the residents
lining the street back in the Fall for a football parade, dressed in team
colors and staking a spot an hour ahead even despite a heavily losing
record.
And, today, as winter reminds us that it does still have
some tricks up its sleeve, it is an anonymous neighbor and a driveway that was
cleared while we hid under the covers with coffee and hot cocoa. Thank you, whomever you are, for the
kindness. It was not necessary, but that
makes it so much more lovely.
An additional thank you to the Gazette for letting me ramble
and to you for reading my musings. I
look forward to growing in 2012, finding a job that lets me further my
connection to the community (can I steal a moment to say “Hire Me!” to any
Bellefonte or State College employer in need of a hard worker with a fondness
for the written word?), and becoming part of what makes this region special.
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