Trying to find a song that describes my hometown has been difficult. My first instinct was something bland - "On the Border" by Al Stewart, say. Because Waverly sits right on the border of New York and Pennsylvania.
Dumb.
Then, I thought back to the Paul Simon chestnut, "My Little Town". That song resonated with me for a long time.
It's unfair, though, because "my little town" isn't really that town.
Would I end up using "My Hometown" by Bruce Springsteen? How sad would that be?
Then I got to thinking about the reality that I actually have many fond memories of growing up there. It was a good place to grow up, a great place to be a kid because we had the run of the place. As a kid you could start your day right after breakfast and go until after dark, just checking in enough so the parents knew where you were.
I also got to thinking about all the folks I knew growing up who married their childhood sweethearts and now, decades later, are still together, enjoying their middle years and the rewards that come with it. Which, of course, led me to thinking of the girl or two I dated in high school. Nothing big, and rest assured those women are much better off having moved on fairly quickly. All the same . . . yeah, those memories are nice.
So, in honor of being reminded that my childhood and youth were actually a really good time; that the people with whom I grew up have, by and large, turned in to really interesting adults; that I am so happy for those I knew who found their life's partner right there in the middle of nowhere . . .
