The other day I was reading in my social media feed and
there was an article that popped up that caught my attention. It was from a person who was looking to move
to my hometown from out-of-state and was wondering about the area and what it
has to offer the world. There was the
normal "joking negativity" in which people were purposely trying to
make the town look bad because they want to keep the community
"quaint" and small. Then there
was those who were just downright negative and mean about the community. And last of all there were those who told it
like it is - it's a small town with small town values, we aren't without our
faults, but it's a great place to live.
What caught my attention most of all was a post from my
friend who said this (because I can't quote perfectly, I'll summarize)
"I'm sorry for all of you who hate our little community. I, for one, feel this is a great place to live and raise kids. I have had a great experience here and love this town. It doesn't matter where you are, you are going to have problems wherever you decide to go…"
Another friend responded:
"You will find good and bad everywhere you go. Is there a lot to do here.......no. Is there traffic......no. It is a small town, so yes. It can be boring, but it's also quiet and peaceful. Some people like getting away from noise and the hustle and bustle of big city life. Small towns aren't for everyone, but if you like having a close knit community then (this town) has that. I am sure it could be a culture shock coming from a bigger city. For those of you who don't like it here I am sorry. The good news is you can always move."
This is sooo true!!
No matter where you decide to "put down roots" you're going to
run into troubles! I guarantee it! Unless you decide to live in a bubble at the
top of the highest mountain peak, you WILL have troubles! But then again, living in a bubble may have
its troubles as well….
One of my absolute, most favorite of all time Dr. Seuss
books is "I had Trouble in Getting
to Solla Sollew". In this book
a young man is confronted with many troubles.
They come at him from above, below, in front and from behind. It didn't matter where he went, these troubles
seemed to get worse the farther he went.
Then one day he ran into a person who told him he needed to go to the "city
of Solla Sollew,
on the banks of the beautiful river Wa-Hoo, where they never have troubles! At least very few!…." So off this young man went to get away from
all the troubles he is facing. He is so
excited to be in a world without troubles!
However, along the way to this amazing city without troubles, he is
faced with trouble after trouble. When
he finally reaches the beautiful city of Solla
Sollew, he discovers there IS indeed troubles, well
just one really. There is only one door
into the city and the keyhole is inhabited by a Key-Slapping Slippard making it
impossible to unlock the gates to the troubleless city.
At this point the young man has a decision to make. He can go on ANOTHER journey to the "city
of Boola Boo Ball,
on the banks of the beautiful River Woo-Wall, where they never have
troubles! No troubles at all!"
----or he can return home. He decides
to return home holding a big bat and declares "now my troubles are going
to have troubles with me!"
I love this story for the simple fact it reminds us that no
matter where we go in life troubles are going to happen. Whether you are in school facing a bully,
work outside the home with difficult co-workers or boss, go to church, shop at
the grocery store, move to a new home, etc….it doesn't matter! You WILL eventually have troubles! What matters most is how you HANDLE those
troubles! Are you going to run away
(which, by the way, NEVER works, cuz the troubles will still be there when you
get back)? Or are you going to face your
troubles head on with a big stick?
How many times in your life have you faced a
"trouble" and let it get to you?
I would say that my troubles have troubled me more times than I would
like to admit! Now that I'm older, I
have started giving my troubles some trouble.
I have learned that to get through life I have to stand up for what I
believe in and to stand against those things that aren't right. It takes courage to do this, but if you don't
want to have troubles, you need to grow a backbone, deal with the trouble and
move on with your life. I promise when
you do this, you will be a better, stronger person for doing so.
