With a warm spring finally here and hotter weather to follow, a store near me has filled its seasonal section with all things summer. Though still April, I saw stacks of Fourth of July themed party supplies, plastic cups for poolside use, and a display of various sunscreens. It was the sunscreen display that reminded me of a day trip I took years ago with my kids.
The three of us set off to spend a day on the beach of a small town I’ve visited all my life and I knew the kids would enjoy sun, sand, and saltwater. As for me, I immediately felt calmer simply leaving work, traffic, and fast-paced living. While the kids argued in the back over who would be first to get in the water once we arrived, I drove and looked forward to experiencing again the small town ways I love but see disappearing. It’s hard to describe those ways, but you know them when you see them and every time an example pops up I hear myself say “There it is.”
People used to wave when they passed one another. Strangers smiled and nodded to each other. If you got lost while traveling you pulled over and the service station mechanic happily got you back on track. If he didn’t know how to then the man reading his newspaper while waiting for an oil change certainly might. And you didn’t have to ask, he’d eagerly put down his paper to help.
There it is.
People reminded one another to carry an umbrella as the weatherman had mentioned thunderstorms for later. If you needed a pen then the woman in line behind you was glad to offer hers. Everyone seemed genuinely interested in each other. There was no agenda, helping out wasn’t done for personal gain, and kindness was expressed simply because it was good and right.
There it is.
As I parked the car at the marina the kids scrambled over each other to race to the beach. I looked around, sad to see some of the quaint out-buildings now gone. Rustic boathouses and a tiny bait shop were replaced by an over-priced restaurant and a store with neon signs screaming at me to buy souvenirs. No wonder small town ways are disappearing; they have no place to live.
Carrying towels, toys, and floats, I made my way over hot sand to where the kids waited by the water. It was then I realized I’d forgotten their sunscreen. Reluctantly, they left the beach to walk with me to the shiny new store at the marina. I hesitated, unhappy about supporting something that helped replace the very ways I’d been reminiscing about, but the kids needed sunscreen. Gone were the days of the smiling bait shop owner asking how he could help. We’d just have to go in and hope a cashier would even notice us.
Walking in I was surprised. There beneath garish fluorescent lights was an old man stocking greeting cards. Wearing faded jeans and a worn flannel shirt, he used a cane for balance as he stooped to fill the lower shelves. Although surrounded by displays of magazines, coolers full of sodas, and racks of colorful t-shirts, I saw no sunscreen. Interrupting his work, I nodded towards my kids.
“Do you have any sunscreen?” I asked. “I forgot theirs.”
“Well, I believe I might.” he responded with a smile. “Let me look.”
He seemed out of place there surrounded by beach jewelry, scented candles, and baskets of packaged seashells. Dance music over store speakers nearly drowned out his voice. As we followed him through aisles crammed with flip-flops and plastic buckets, I thought sadly how his working in such a place was final evidence that the small town ways had been all but swallowed up by sterile progress. This man, and others like him from the old days, had to adapt to the new or be left behind. Surely in that transition small town courtesies would be lost, gone for good, all part of the change.
The old man led us to the checkout counter but I still saw no sunscreen. Using his cane again, he stooped to reach down behind the cash register and lifted up an old knapsack, obviously his own, and opened it on the counter. He dug inside removing a frayed wallet, rusty keys, and a tiny old notebook before saying “Yep, got it.” With a smile he produced a large tube, told me there was plenty to cover both kids, and handed me the last of his very own sunscreen.
There it is.
Stuart M. Perkins
Storyshucker 
You know I lived in a big city most of my life and for the longest I said I would never leave. But life happens, I moved to a small town and I love it! Everybody is warm, friendly and actually seem to genuinely care about me and my family when they ask. The funny thing is now I wouldn’t mind moving to even smaller town.
A lovely story. Reverent and succinct.
What a lovely tale. Thank you!
Where has all the good ol’ writing gone? When all u see these days is viral posts and 10 things to do…Here It Is!!! 👍🏼
Where has all the good old writing gone? When all day u see tons of viral posts and 10 things to do that u don’t really need to know…Here It Is! 👍🏼
Stuart, You did it again. Nice story. I would say that the small town is not gone, it’s obviously still inside you. Now all you have to do to pass it along, is be that small town!
Nice!
I grew up in a small town and yes, there are many things I miss and my preference is small towns but at the same time, it was also gossip city, a place with much judgment, lies spread about who I was and what I had supposedly done or not done, it was living under the harsh lights of everybody knowing everything that happened, whether it really did or not. I used to live for our summer vacations when I could just be myself and escape the harsh limitations of small minded small town people watching my every move.
Small town ways. I love this.
Reblogged this on Ancien Hippie.
Lovely post… I live in Cumbria, which has a lot of the old town ways still – I was on the Wirral yesterday when I was reading this and thinking of the contrast between city life (I also used to live in London, and in Bristol) and rural Cumbria… even the cities in Cumbria (i.e. Carlisle) are rural, with sheep and cows often grazing in one of the city centre parks…
Sounds perfect to me!
I spent the day in Midtown Detroit yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised by all the smiles, nods and hellos. Maybe it was just because it’s Spring and people were happy to be out in the sunshine, but I liked it.
You call them small town ways. I call the civil humane ways
@guybon – Hear! Hear! I’d write it even more precisely. “You call them small-town ways. I call it basic courtesy.” (And us old fogies know that’s verging on extinction …)
I remember when my kids were little they would roam the neighborhood with the other kids, going from house to house in a pack. We moms didn’t worry, we knew all of us were on duty, on the lookout, keeping track of their every move. My kids are grown now, and the neighborhood has retreated behind closed doors and closed blinds. There it was.
And to your story I say… “There it is”!
You obviously are an incredible writer. So much so that I dare say my eyes are misty. It touched a nerve. Thank you for sharing something so small but ever so lovely today. I needed this to remind me of the little things people do that are simple but mean so much. Bravo for your brilliant words in putting us all there with you in that very moment.
Thank you!
thanks for the break away. delightful read.
Just wanted to take a moment and say how much I enjoyed reading this lovely story. Also, I want to thank you for following my blog… I really appreciate it!
Great story, you have captured the “there it is” feeling perfectly. Lennon Carlyle (comment before mine) expresses my thoughts on your writing and story perfectly.
Do not stop writing my dear. Heartwarming
Wonderful! We live and work in a small town called Chelsea, MI. We run a residential facility out of the way in the country for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This entire town treats us with that small town kindness. At every corner now I can say to myself, “There it is.”
May God bless you abundantly and if you ever want a good dose of small town ways, come and see what Chelsea MI is all about!
I will! And thanks for the comment!
Beautiful reminder of the delights of small town living. I read this with a lump in my throat.
Hi! I’m taking part in a 3 day quote challenge which is kind of fun. I challenged you. Don’t have to accept if it sounds uninteresting. Here is the link, https://doesthishappentoyou.wordpress.com/2016/04/29/does-this-happen-to-you-quote-of-the-day/
What a touching story. I miss those little shops and the gentle people who ran them.
I always look forward to your stories!
“There it is again.” One of your writings that leave me with the feeling I’d just been transported to another time and place. Keep writing. Transport us with you….I miss small towns too. Thanks and bless your heart.
Aww…what a blessing.
It’s the very reason I hate living in cities, they really do swallow you whole. Love this piece, it made me smile 😊
Nice! I live in NYC, so these sorts of interactions rarely happen. One day though, I was walking down a fairly busy street and this guy sitting in a lawn chair (weird) looked me in the eye and said, “Good afternoon, young man!” I was so surprised I just blurted, “Hey!” I kept looking at him, expecting him to ask me for something, but he just said, “Have a great day!” I almost laughed, I was so shocked. Loved it, though! 🙂
Great feeling isn’t it!
Yup! THERE it is! I love this story! I didn’t grow up in a small town, always a “city” kid, but our neighborhood had its moments like this, with all those apartments we were our own little community but you are absolutely right. There is not a lot of that courtesy non-agenda type of behavior anymore. It’s rare when you see it, so when you recognize it happening, or when it happens to you, it feels pretty good and reminds you that there are still people out there that share that mentality. Reminds me of that Jack Nicholson line that I LOVE … “Good times, noodle salad.”
Aw, how nice. Faith in humanity officially restored. Thank you!
Reblogged this on Biscuits and Burlap and commented:
A little something outside-the-box for our followers, but a heartwarming story in keeping with our “small town love”. Hope you enjoy.
You are the only writing blog I follow, and I hope that says how special I think your writing is. I am thankful to be able to live in a small town where these ways do still exist. Reblogged at http://www.biscuitsandburlap.com
Hi Pam, I appreciate that and thank you! I’m glad you like the posts. Thanks again, Stuart
Well, I thought I re-blogged it, but it hasn’t shown up on my site 😦 This is the first time I’ve tried using a “re-blog” button, so if you have any hints for how to make it work for me, please let me know.
I’m not sure really! I thought the re-blog button would do it but sad to say…. I’m not the most savvy person I know when it comes to using WordPress! I’ll see what I can learn about that button…
Oh, how I miss those small town days. I grew up just outside of a small college town that has now grown up in a much too homogenized way, no more Mom & Pop stores or the corner drug store where everyone knew your name. People had front porches that weren’t screened in and you waved at everyone as they went by. Days were slower, much too slow for a girl who was longing to grow up, what I wouldn’t give for those bygone days now. I’d love for my children to see what life was like before everyone had a tiny screen in front of their face and their ears infused with music of their own choosing but not of the world around them as they pass through.
Good to know that somewhere out there small town mentality is alive and well still.
I know what you mean and I really, really miss evenings on a porch and having people drop by!
I enjoyed this as much as One Man’s Trash. You have such a way of making even the simplest of things enjoyable to read about, I can almost smell that coconut sunscreen. It was coconut, right? Great post.
haha I thought the same exact way. Kept my attention the whole way and really put me in that environment.
Hey, I appreciate that compliment. Thanks!
Great. Simply great. This is marvelous.
There so many people, doing little things, it just amazes me ! And reading this post about those very people, those keeping humanity alive, is also one of those moments which makes one say “There it is”.
This is the very reason I write my blog… I live and work in small towns where you become family with everyone and their stories intertwine with yours… wonderful to hear that even with some changes small towns sometime keep their heart!
Thanks for following my blog! I am enjoying reading your posts, they’re great!
Mr. Perkins,
You have some BEAUTIFUL and thought provoking writing! I’m so honored just to have been fortunate to stumble across your blog. I wanted to also thank you for taking time to read my post entitled “You are that”. I deeply appreciate your “like”! I’d be honored if you’d follow my page and I’ll definitely be following you back! Thanks again!
Christopher Michael
Hey thanks for that!
You have a beautiful voice in your stories, love the imagery to. I sometimes think “why did being genuine leave the building in this generation” turns out you just find it in unexpected places.
Just gorgeous. The way life should be.
I live in a small beach town…accurately-painted picture.
From the very beginning of the story I was hoping you’d find what you were after, and then you did in a way I did not expect. Wonderful.
Thank you!
Lovely post! You’ve done it again. Thanks for the entertaining and thought-provoking read.
“As for me, I immediately felt calmer simply leaving work, traffic, and fast-paced living.”
Well, that nailed it. I had to read on. I remember feeling exactly like that in the same circumstances.
These days, we feel connected to way too many people we don’t know anything about except what the media tells us they are like. And the media serves only bad news. No wonder those isolated little towns now seem better. They were.
Thanks for the piece, Stuart. I enjoyed it.
Thanks for reading that one and for such a great comment! I appreciate that.
Beautiful blog! I live in a town myself, though it is considered a metropolitan now. Living in a town is surely more enchanting than living in the city, with no nature to feel but only big blocks everywhere. There is definitely a lot of warmth in the town which is fi
Which is difficult to find in the cities.
Town life is amazing
There’s still lots of beautiful caring souls in the World we live in. If most of us can strive to be kind to each other. Lovely story
This is great! I LOVE small town life; wouldn’t have it any other way! I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire and it was the best! I hate living in the city….I barely can tolerate working in it. I feel lost in it and it tends to lack character and charm. I want my family and I surrounded by nature, good neighbors, and local support :).