The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns

I was born, raised, and spent most of my adult life in a small town, which isn't really so small, but it's smaller than the metropolis I'm in now. Apparently, I took for granted many of the quirks and nuances of small towns because I am now realising how much life there is here. Not only do you know your neighbour, but you can go for coffee and have people from around town say "hi" as they pass by. I am not as anonymous here as I am in the big city, and it makes one feel less alone.

Of course, there are other reasons why small towns are quaint. For example, the other day I was driving along and saw big sign saying 420. I have no idea what that meant, but the next night my cousin asked me to pull over where that sign was, and she said that she was changing the sign into a big peace sign. Being away from home for so long, I had to ask what it was all about, and she said that someone painted those rocks white and people are making words and symbols out of them. There have been a few swear words, some dedications, and other markings like the 420, which I suppose was the time they did the rock writing. Just for kicks, I guess, but it was kind of cool. I certainly don't see that in the mundane world of the metropolis.

Now don't get me wrong, the metropolis has a life of its own, but there is something about small towns that give them such existence.

Another eccentricity of my home town was illustrated when I saw nearly 10 pairs of shoes dangling off a single telephone wire. I can only assume that it was due to a bunch of excited kids at the end of the school year since there was a school at that very corner of the street. I'm not saying that I condone such behaviour, and perhaps they could have expressed themselves in a less harmful way (you know, hazards of the shoes destroying the wire), I'm just saying that it was interesting to see. Kind of like artwork because you could almost see the excitement of the kids as they tossed their shoes in the air.

Certainly, there are many more idiosyncrasies, like the day I saw a heck of a lot of black smoke in the air, so I rushed to see where the fire was coming from, and what do I see before my eyes, practically the whole town staring at a blazing trailer (no one inside or injured). There were regular citizens directing traffic; people standing on the side of the road talking with others as they watched the blaze; and others who merely came for the show. Even though I wasn't living there anymore, I must say they made me feel like I had never left.

I guess this article doesn't have much of a point to it, but I needed to get that thought down. It's a new experience for me being in a metropolitan area, and I'm sure there are others like me that may be able to relate to this story. looks like I'm not the only one

Nope, nothing beats a small town. Love the place I'm in now, but home will always be home.

Check out this review of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. If you have seen it or if you haven't, you'll never see it the same way again.