Yesterday I drove to my brother's place. The further I drove away from the city the expanse of commercialism faded away and gave rise to more God-made substances of land, trees, and dirt. I felt my mind and body relaxing more.
Sometimes I'm aware that I'm romanticizing living "in the country" and a simpler life but every time I visit Midway, a small left leaning liberal town where people wave and human beings actually still get on their hands and knees to paint parking lines. Every body picks up their mail at the post office...utility bills are kept in a ledger and the racial balance is enough to give psychic comfort.
Similiar to Berea, the state's arts and crafts capital, Midway feels like an artist's town full of quirky locals. Ron has been there going on 2 years and his stories fulfill my fantasy.
The picture below is of downtown Midway...these are shops that depend on tourists stopping in or folks from Lexington getting away for a day. I've noticed the shops change frequently. Ron said the owners tend to be from "someplace" else and he is of the opinion that the shop owners that stay are in this for hobby and fun mostly. The train tracks run right down the center of the street. And I guess back in the day (original day) this must have been a happening spot right before entering into Lexington. In my sentimentality I imagine this was a great undercover spot for abolitionists to gather and strategize about their cause...I have no evidence of that but it just feels like that kind of space to me.
In my fantasy, I imagine living there in this house 
or this one
secluded somewhere in one of the rooms making great quilted art and wrestling poems from the tip of my pen. Family and friends would begin to worry if I'm still lucid and sane because I never leave the house and its been years since they've seen me but they would know that I'm having solo shows throughout the U.S. which is a sign that I must not be too "off". Somewhere around the age of 125 I would sit down in my comfy chair (the same one I got off of Craigslist back in 2008) for some hand sewing and drift off to sleep and never wake up. The End.
Ahhh! Sweet dreams. I prefer the room in a house in a liberal leaning urban setting, myself. Cause I will want to escape for the occasional rowdiness of a big city.
ReplyDeleteThere's power in dreams. Who knows what lies in your future.
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful! The fact that a beloved brother and kindred spirit must also be factored in.
ReplyDeleteI live in the "country" and it is romantic and I love the nights where the only light comes from the moon, and the only sound is the wind in the trees. I sometimes fantasize about living in the center of town in a little apartment with a small balcony over top of a shop. I would walk downstairs in the evening and have my cup of coffee at the local joint where I'd listen to poets and musicians and chat with the regulars. I'd wander to the art galleries, shop daily for my evening meal at the market which is only half a block from my tiny one room apt. Never have a car, never shovel another driveway, never light another fire, get my tree fix from the parks, use all my current gas money to go to concerts.....
ReplyDeletethat's an awesome fantasy. It has inspired me to create one of my own ...
ReplyDeletethe power of the story.
ReplyDeleteMmm...this place looks lovely! I think I romanticize about such places the same as you. All my life living in a city makes me long for wide open spaces. Glad you could get away and breath new air! Congrats to Ron for all of his successes...I'm so pleased.
ReplyDeleteGrace...