Little Town

Back when I was in 8th grade, I thought it would be super cool if I spent a good portion of a Saturday committing to memory all the words of the opening song of the epic Disney classic, "Beauty and the Beast."

Little town, it's a quiet village. Every day like the one before. Little town, full of little people, waking up to say....
Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!
There goes the baker with his tray like always; the same old bread and rolls to sell. Every morning just the same, since the morning that we came to this poor provincial town-
Good morning, Belle!
Good morning, monsieur!
Where are you off to today?
To the bookstore. I just read the most WONDERFUL book about a beanstalk and an ogre and-
That's nice. Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!

And so it goes. (If you ever wondered if I was one of the "cool kids" in junior high, I think you have your answer right there.... Absolutely YES. All the cool kids spent their weekends playing and rewinding and replaying their VHS copies of Beauty and the Beast so they could write down all the words in their Trapper Keeper notebooks. I was the epitome of cool.)

Anyhow, I have a point. This song which STILL holds a place in my memory came to mind this afternoon as we drove back to OUR little town from a couple days away in Chicago. I channeled the spirit of Belle as we drove through the vast corn and soybean fields of central Illinois that line the highway between Chicago and Bloomington.

Little town, it's an overgrown suburb. Every day, like the one before...

Bloomington-Normal, Illinois is a city...town... suburb-in-search-of-a-city that I had never even heard of 2 years ago. Our friends Dean and Andrea got pastor jobs at a church here while Dave and I were living in Minnesota. Since we were just 8 hours away, we drove down for their Installation service and thoroughly enjoyed seeing their new life in this new (to me) town. And as we drove away on Sunday afternoon, I turned to Dave and told him approximately this....

"I am so glad for Dean and Andrea. This is so great for them. I'm so glad that they found the jobs they wanted, that they have bought a house like they wanted, I'm so glad for them. Aaaaaand I am so glad that WE do not live in this town."

Bum bum BUM. Famous last words. Cause 6 months later, Dave and I were packing up boxes to move here as ANOTHER church in town asked me to be their pastor.

And while there is much to be grateful for in the situation we are living in (Dave and I also found the jobs we wanted, we bought a house like we wanted, we have pre-set friends already in town, etc, etc, etc), NONE of these things have anything to do with this actual TOWN.

I gotta say, I do NOT love this town. Sure, it's got its positives: good people, amazingly low cost of living, very little traffic/crime/pollution, etc. But it's just a LITTLE town with not a lot for DINKS like us to do!

Going to Chicago always crystallizes this for me. As soon as we step out of the car and on to the streets, something in me just feels more alive. I love the busyness, the constant movement, the sense that there's always something going on somewhere. I love how normal it is to walk from one place to another, or if it's real far, to take public transportation, which is readily accessible most times of day or night. I love that there are distinct neighborhoods with different personalities. I love that there are radio stations that play music that is hipster enough that I know it, but not so hipster that I feel like I'm 52. I love the parks, the museums, the bars and restaurants, the PEOPLE who have varied lives and interests. I just LOVE being in the city. When I'm there, I get so excited, I just turn to Dave and yell, "CITY!!!" I breathe it in deeply and smile because I feel like I am at home.

And then we get back in the car, meander our way back to Interstate 55 and drive south. And my heart sinks a little. Not because our life here is so bad. It's just not all I want it to be. I don't love that we have to drive everywhere. I don't love that there are approximately 3 bars/restaurants that we enjoy hanging out at. I don't love that there's relatively no music/art/culture scene that we feel a part of. I don't love that most of the city goes to sleep goes to sleep the same time I do. Like Belle says,

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell. And for once it might be grand to have someone understand, I want so much more than they've got planned....

Sing it, Belle. Sing it.