Vacations are for gaining perspective and adjusting assumptions. Michael and I have been out on the boat for almost three weeks. As ties to our home dock became more tenuous, fundamental perceptions gradually illuminated our awareness.
Our hometown: Its rural charm has been nibbled away and elbowed out by the seduction of convenience, expedience and fashion. Wal-Mart has come to town, challenging local merchants to upgrade their curb appeal and to keep an alert eye on current trends. The downtown area has been “quaintified,” with remodeled shoppes and special events (farmers’ markets, monthly walk-abouts, annual festivals) evolving from rural to suburban, less a geographic designation than a socio-cultural phenomenon. Expectations have ratcheted up so that “going to town” is more a mall experience of selecting from many options than, as formerly, determining what we will “settle for” among what is available locally.
The towns we visited reminded us why we chose this area for our retirement. The whip lash of deceleration, stepping aside from the constant sprint of a fully-packed retirement to the sauntering pace of a paradoxically recent earlier era was extreme.
For example, thinking we could post blogs from an Internet “hot spot,” we packed the computer and sailed away. The hot spots were inadequate to non-existent, isolating us from the world of the Internet. Many towns had no groceries or adequately stocked convenience stores within walking distance of the local wharf (although most boasted an ice cream emporium within steps of the dock). So until my health has stabilized we will sail closer to home and the comforting presence of practitioners familiar with my exotic medical requirements. Remote is okay as long as it is near home.
You are never far from our thoughts, no matter where we are. Stay well!
Copyright 2009
Lynn Chapman-Adler
www.lindalater.blogspot.com
Posted: May 29, 2009
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