In the movie "it's a Wonderful Life", the protagonist George Bailey has longed nearly his whole life to 'shake off the dust of this crummy little town off my feet," to see the world. But Bedford Falls, that crummy little town, felt differently about George. And with the help of a quirky guardian angel, George eventually sees that his life and his town were pretty wonderful.
Good lord, but I love that movie and it's characters and it's moral and that small town. I watch it every year at least twice and still cry every time. And I wonder too about the man that pushes the devious Mr. Potter's wheelchair and stands by his side- you know the man, he looks a little like Lurch from "The Addams Family". I wonder, what was he thinking as he listened and watched his boss ruin the lives of everyone he could. What kind of an Non-disclosure agreement did he sign, to keep him silent as he stood by and watched Potter pocket the money Uncle Billy was depositing, then calling the sheriff on George for 'cooking the books' at Bailey's Savings and Loan. He stood by Potter's side as George, completely bereft, begged to his nemesis Potter for help. I wonder, what was he thinking?
Boy, did I go off on a tangent - guess that happens when you've seen a movie a gazillion times!!
Because, what I started to write about was the beauty of a small town and the joys of residing in one. I largely grew up in suburbs of large cities and knew a little of that joy but as a teenager I didn't want, at times, to be seen or known. Like driving faster than the speed limit (may still happen) and having a neighbor or two call my Mom to tell.
As an adult, I treasure so many aspects of small town living and was reminded recently of a few of those.
The pharmacist, Mark, at Saugatuck Drug is the best example. One of my prescriptions, Provigil, is very expensive and is not considered necessary under the insurance code of 'let's cut our costs at the expense of the customer'. I need it to not sleep 60 percent of my day. Anyway, Mark has always looked for ways or options to reduce my out-of-pocket and when I switched insurers recently he said he couldn't match the big-box pharmacies. I felt like we were breaking up! Then when John went to get a prescription there, Mark wrote me a note saying he found a source and could now offer a better price for me. Would Walgreens do that? Walmart? CVS?
Another recent example, is our local auto repair shop. I had my Mini in about a month ago for an oil change and for them to check the brakes. They said the brakes needed to be repaired but I could go a little bit longer and they would cost about $1,200. Yikes. Well, the brakes started making noise and I called to schedule the repair. Amber, who manages the desk, and is an admirable young woman I know, said she couldn't get me in until the first available December 12 but would call if anything opened up. She knows the car and me. would your big town dealership or repair shop?
I know there are certainly trade offs - like not a lot of options for theater or movies or sports. for me, those are things were driving for (well, after my brakes are replaced at least). Not having to drive, to have a pharmacist or mechanic that knows and values you is huge. And it makes this small town living priceless.
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