Twinsight 24 of 50: Don't Underestimate a Small Town

Cousins Connie, Ruthie, Kristi and Dorothy with me

As you may know, I grew up in a town of a few hundred people in North Dakota. What comes to mind when I say that? Through the years, particularly from people I've met from outside the Midwest, I've had questions along the lines of...

• Were you born in a barn? (No. As a one-time mom at age 41 in March of 1961, my mom drove herself to her doctor's appointment in a larger town of a couple thousand people. Her doctor decided to admit her to the small hospital there, and she delivered me and then called my dad to tell him that they had a daughter. So no, it was not a barn but it was a little unusual.)
• Did they have schools there? (Yes, but I had to walk six miles, uphill both ways. Sheesh. No, actually, we had grades K-12 and vehicles galore to get around.)
• Did it ever stop snowing? (Hey, I know that it's not 120 every day in Phoenix, so you should know it's not snowing every day in ND. As a matter of fact, it was 85 and sunny during my last visit.)
• How many restaurants were there in your town? (Two when I lived there, but none now. But there are so many great cooks so who needs a restaurant? And they have good pizza at the Cenex station.)
• Could you go to a gym to work out? (There were no health club options, but I did manage to get exercise through formal and informal school sports. And I did start running when I lived there. However, to this day when I visit, someone in a pick up or golf cart invariably stops and asks me if I need a ride. And by the way, in North Dakota it's a "pick up," NOT a "pick up truck.")
• Did you know everyone? (Pretty much. As a matter of fact, I was related to healthy percentage of the people in the county. And I've had the experience several times of someone calling our home by mistake and then proceeding to talk for 20 minutes because, of course, it was a friend or relative.)
• How close is the nearest Starbucks? (Now THAT'S a good question. I believe it was 400 miles away in Minneapolis until recent years. Now there are several only 75 miles away in Grand Forks. Wahoo!)

Cousins Jackson, Taylor, Joe & Sam with Leah & Chloe
Gotta love the height difference between Chloe and Joe:)

Despite the fact that life is on a smaller scale and every opportunity isn't at your fingertips (oh, and the winters are crazy cold), it is a pretty great way to live and I feel incredibly blessed for having spent my first 18 years there. In my experience, here's what you'll generally find in small towns. Well-adjusted people with strong EQ. True blue, honest, authentic, loyal friends. A less complex, down-to-earth life. Hardworking, responsible, smart farmers running high-tech businesses in a global economy. And people who have a genuine faith, can make the best of any situation, and are simply there for you no matter what.

A glimpse into the farm with cousin Fred

But don't take my word for it. Here are a couple of amazing facts. North Dakota has a bustling economy, which in turn, has resulted in the nation's lowest unemployment rate. Per this recent USA TODAY article, "The state's unemployment rate hasn't touched 5% since 1987. The state's per capita income rose over the decade from 38th in the nation to 17th, the biggest advance of any state."

And North Dakota was the #2 state on Gallup's wellbeing index that came out this week. Hawaii was #1. Since competing with Hawaii is completely unfair, ND is #1 to me.

If you have a chance to spend time in a small town, I encourage you to do so. No place is perfect, but small towns certainly provide a good way to get grounded in what's real and lasting. And they simply warm your heart.

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