BY: RACHEL SMITH
Sometimes when the seasons change, I tend to get a bit sentimental. Nostalgia kicks in and I begin to realize yet another year has passed. Time is a fickle creature, always moving forward. It doesn’t matter if we want it to slow down or speed up, it just continues. Steady. Consistent.
So bear with me here. Occasionally I get mushy and that means a mushy blog post.
About a week ago I went for a walk. Those summer months in Clear Lake are really hard on me, what with all the activities and fun events going on that tend to turn my eating and drinking habits into something comparable to a garbage disposal. Thus… it’s getting cooler and if I want my jeans to fit I need to get my butt in gear.
But I digress. So I’m walking – up and down and all around the streets in my neighborhood. And as I’m walking I begin to notice things, actually appreciate them in a new light. You see, everyone’s personal experiences create who they become in this life. What makes them be “them.” Mine? Well, mine make me appreciate even the tiniest of details.
Before I even made it two blocks, six cars passed me. Of those six cars I only recognized the driver of one of them; however, every single person waved. I met a woman walking her dog that I did not know. She smiled and said, “Hello! What a beautiful morning!” A man had his garage door open, tinkering with something on a large wooden bench. He turned, smiled, and waved as I walked past.
So this got me thinking. I know there are a lot of amazing towns in Iowa. I know this. And I know that a lot of people could make a case that they live in the best community in the state, that they’re beyond blessed to have friendly people who take care of one another. And this also may be true.
But we live in a place, in a community, that when a baby is born at only twenty-four weeks old, everyone rallies. Not just friends, or family, or neighbors… but everyone. Or when a young mother loses her husband way too soon, she finds meals delivered to her door for days on end, her driveway magically cleared of snow in the winter, and a tribe of people willing to help whenever needed.
THIS is what makes Clear Lake the winner. THIS is what makes me look around the street where I live and appreciate it all.
Big houses.
Small houses.
Lawns full of children’s toys or perfectly landscaped.
We are ‘Iowa Nice’ but on a different level. So as our summer crowd dwindles and the cooler temps settle in, take a look around the street where you live.
You might just be surprised at what you see when you really look.