For one thing, I never had to worry about locking things when I was at home. If you really wanted to, you could go for a ride to Lilly and be able to get into my car right now. I'm pretty sure the keys are not in it, but usually in the day time, they are. My house only gets locked if we are away for an extended time. I dont think we have ever locked our motor home, which sits behind my uncle's house (remember I mentioned before, he lives in the house right behind mine). It's just not needed. Many times, my friends have called me, saying "Hey I'm away for the weekend, will you feed my dog?" and I just walk into the house. I can ask my neighbor if I can borrow something with the reply of "Sure, the garage is open." Here at Penn State, however, I have to remember to lock my door every time I leave the room; this is a task that took me a while to master. It goes even to the gyms, where you have to find a locker to put your stuff into. Maybe that is how the world is nowadays, but it's just not what I am used to.
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| Photo by: The Community of Lilly, Pa |
In Lilly we all help each other. When my uncle was patching up my grandparent's garage roof, there were 5 guys from the community up there with him. When my car broke down, a couple people from the community stopped by to try to help my dad fix it. Whenever Christmas time comes around, may of the people come together to decorate. Other events are all ran by volunteers. For the church picnics and bingos, my aunt always enlists my help. It even goes deeper. When my neighbor and her husband broke up, there were many long hours on the porch just listening to her. Another time, one of the scariest in my life, was when my neighbor Wayne hit his head and collapsed in the kitchen. His wife sent her granddaughter to my house for my mother's help, but she was not home. I ran over to see them on the floor. I called 911 and helped Elaine control the situation. When she drove to the hospital, she did not have to worry about the children because she knew I would keep them over at my house.
The point I am making is, in a small town, you never have to worry about being alone. No one will steal your things or hurt your family. Rather, we all stick together. We all know that if one needs help, all of the rest will be there. After all, it's called a community for a reason. And I wouldn't trade mine for the world.
This is really cool. I've never really had a problem with where I grew up, but part of me always wanted the sense of community that is found in small towns such as yours. You're right, being here is certainly different, but I think that it's pretty sweet that you have something like that to go homw to.
ReplyDeleteI find this really interesting because I come from a small town in upstate NY and this isn't the case for me. Not that my town is dangerous, notr does it lack the sense of community on many of the same points you brought up, but its still not a place you can be unguarded. you lock up your stuff, don't talk to people if you don't have to and are always on guard for theives. I guess its just being so close to NYc that paranoia is prevelent. Still I wish my town was like yours.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a different type of lifestyle than I am used to. When I came here and saw posters with “Have you seen this man?” posted outside our halls for theft, it really didn’t startle me (except for that once incident outside West halls). I have lived in impoverished nations, where Americans are number one targets. I even have locks in my room on my desk to make sure everything is secure, just in case my roommate slips up. Things happen, and we sometimes forget our heads at home. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
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