five rules of small-town life

There is not one traffic light
in any town north of Campbell River.
1. Don't be in a rush.

Everything takes time. Everyone has time. You have time, too. You might have to wait while people finish chatting. No matter. You have time.

2. Don't try to make plans.

People stop by. They want you to stop by. Or you can wait for them to come 'round. They will.

3. Don't be too picky.

Everything you need is here. It might not be exactly what you had in mind, but does the difference really matter? If it does, there's the internet, and you can wait. But generally you have a few choices. That's enough.

4. Don't say too much.

People will ask. They are genuinely interested. Share a story. They will genuinely appreciate it. No need to go on at length. A short story will do. Don't say more than you want to, because whatever you say, everyone will know.

5. Don't talk about other people.

Everyone knows each other.

* * * *

The small-town norm that is most divergent with big-city life, in my view, is about stopping by. In cities, you never stop by. It would be an intrusion. It's considered disrespectful of other people's time. Even trying to plan one week ahead can cause resentment.

I'm not saying that no one in our small town makes advance plans. Certainly professionals plan ahead, make appointments, have meetings. If I'm planning a visit to one of my libraries in another town, I give people a heads-up, so we can meet if they're available.

But stopping by is expected. It's welcomed. It's considered friendly.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

not so fast

Not everyone thinks the Conservative government is a lock. Canada's opposition Conservative Party, which is set to bring down the minority Liberal government later this week, was hit by a new opinion poll on Monday that showed it was trailing in the country's most vote-rich region. The Leger Marketing poll for the Sun chain of newspapers put support for the Liberals in the powerful central province of Ontario at 43 percent compared with 31 percent for the Conservatives. Ontario, a Liberal stronghold at the federal level for the past 12 years, accounts for 106 of the 308 seats in House of Commons, and no party can hope to form a government without doing well there. . . . Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberals have been badly hurt by a corruption scandal and Conservative leader Stephen Harper says the government must be defeated as soon as possible. The Leger figures, however, suggest there is no guarantee Harper can end 12 years of Liberal rule. Thanks, ALPF! I must say, I...
Read more

dipstick

So there won't be an election yet. Talk about a squeaker . Feel free to tell us how you feel about this, unless it's all been said already, then feel free not to. ALPF mustered his courage and sent more links, so I have some good commentary to post. I found this Macleans story on the Conservative party's reaction to Stronach's decision - and public reaction to that reaction - very interesting. Canadians seem almost universally turned off by the name-calling and sexist slurs. On the other hand, when a certain governor made his "girly men" pronouncement, his constituency howled with glee. (Which is not to say the rest of us weren't appalled.) The Macleans article also notes that not all the sexism came from politicians: Some of the most sexist characterizations of Stronach didn't come from her political adversaries, but from media. Montreal's La Presse newspaper ran a cartoon of Martin leaning out his car window to solicit a street-walking Stronach...
Read more