small town

i live in a small town.  (a small town that is soon to become nationally known, i'm confident, owing to its burgeoning pinot industry and forthcoming road bypass.)  but right now it's still on the scale that i can go into the local art gallery and happen to meet the artist who is there in jeans and chat with her and the owner about local restaurants, kayaking and wine. i can be waiting to get a haircut and connect with a former student from the university. before i continue, i should say i'm an INFJ on the meyer's briggs scale, and i have two social speeds:  on and off.  i've always loved people and i'm enjoying my summer self that is all rested and talkative...school starts tomorrow which also begins a 9-month marathon for my face muscles and vocal chords.  at any rate, i am a person who loves to be alone, prefers deeper one-on-one connections, and small groups or parties if i'm rested.  when i've had enough time at home, it's fun to go out into a bigger city (thank you portland) and be alone in the midst of fun crowds and activities where i can people watch.  (author's note:  small towns have their drawbacks; for example murphy's law states that when you only have ten minutes and you have to duck into the store for milk that you will run into someone who wants to talk for an hour.  sometimes i wear a baseball hat if i'm in a hurry!)  anyway, when i'm not with my friend who likes food as much as i do, i like to dine alone...i can savor the food that way or just read.  i've always thought it was funny how we are so independent in our culture that we never share tables with people we don't know...well, this week i was at my outdoor table alone when the lunch crowd started picking up and a couple asked if they could share my table.  sure, i was almost done and would be leaving soon.  we got to talking, however, and ended up visiting for over an hour, the husband basically telling me his spiritual history and how he related that to the yoga profession and the wife telling me about her work in healthcare.  before we even properly introduced ourselves we were trading book and author names.  we may never meet each other again, but when they left (on matching motorcycles i noted) i hoped i had encouraged them.  thank you, small town.  you're not the only kind of community, but i appreciate you just the same.