Valley Girl at Heart

I would be lying if I said that picking a topic for this week would be easy. After 3 failed attempts to get the creativity flowing, I finally realized what I should do. At the end of the day the only thing you always have left are your roots. Lately I've been thinking a lot about my roots, because I've also been thinking about how this could very likely be my last summer at home for a while. I'm starting to realize that no matter where I land, I'll always have the place where I started close to my heart. 
The roads I learned to drive on, the lakes I froze by butt off on and the hills I was forced to run up. I know every turn in the road and every speed limit change by heart, and I can get you just about anywhere with a little time. I had heartbreaks, upsets and accomplishments up and down the river. It's home. 

So what is so great about this place I'm from? Well I'm a little biased, but I think it's probably one of the coolest places on earth for these reasons:

1)  People always ask me where I'm from, and sometimes I say Maine, sometimes I say New  Brunswick. To them it seems like a huge difference, but up here it's all the Valley. What exactly is "The Valley"? Well for about 100 miles the American/Canadian border is created by the St. John River. The small towns flanking each side form the area affectionally known as the Valley by most and home to a lucky few. So yeah I might have changed countries in eighth grade, but I never changed communities. It is probably the coolest thing ever to seemingly live in two countries at once.

Basically fact #1 is proof enough as to why the Valley rocks but I'll go on for you skeptics.

2) You know everybody by their vehicle. So even when you are too far away to see who's driving, you know that you need to wave. I mean after all even if it isn't who you were expecting, you will probably still know them, so it's not a high-risk situation.  I have on more than one occasion just driven through town in a near constant wave.

3) If you call the wrong number they will either a) know the person pretty well and have their number ready for you b) get out the phone book and figure out the number for you. It has happened more than once in my home. If you show up the wrong house they will point you in the right direction. You really can't get lost up here because someone will help you get find

4) You know that going "downstate" means driving 3 1/2 hours to get the nearest mall. Yes that's right folks we are in the sticks. Prove it? The nearest American Walmart is an hour away. So what does that mean? We don't have a ton of tourists and those that we do have either a) stick out a ton, but know how to mind themselves or b) fit right in and you would never know they weren't born there.

5) Talking to a stranger isn't being "really social" it's just normal. No you don't know that guy that you always end up running into everyday, but hey you'll probably talk to him a few times. Not formally (you'll never know his name), just enough to know how he's doing. For example: Hey [Monsieur that walks by my house everyday], how are you?

6) Seriously I can't stress enough that EVERYBODY KNOWS EVERYBODY. Obviously that has some pitfalls because well I mean small town drama, but at the end of the day I honestly think there are more ups than down about this.

7) If you are ever in need, people will do everything in their power to fix it. From changing a flat to lending you a buck, people here are so generous. I can't tell you how many spaghetti suppers I have been to that were fundraisers for families facing extreme hardships. Yes my town was giving money to strangers before "gofundme" existed. Seriously during the 2008 flood so many people opened their homes and hearts to complete strangers. We pull together to help our own succeed.

8) You rarely get cheated out of stuff because word travels fast and businesses hate to lose customers. People talk and if you aren't treating people right you won't last. I mean they won't go like all mafia on you and "take care of business" but you probably won't have the customers to keep you afloat.

9) When a word is on the tip of your tongue you don't have to struggle for long. If you can't think of it in English you can throw in the French equivalent and they will probably understand. So a sentence that switches language 4 times still makes perfect sense.

10) The biggest thing I will miss about home is the views. So many lakes, mountainous "skylines" and no building over 3 stories means that the views are incredible. My all-time favorite view is about mid-way up the local ski hill. From this vantage point you can see the river snake it's way between countries and wind on down the valley. Even from up there you can point out whose house is whose  and what building is what business.

Will I probably have a framed picture of the view in my office someday? No doubt. But even if I don't have a physical reminder, I'll always have my home close to me, because it has made me who I am today.