Over the short span of my life, I, like many, have had the opportunity to meet people from far and wide of all types and styles. At karate tournaments when I strike up a conversation with another competitor, we inevitably get to the common question, “Where are you from?” I hear all kinds of responses, from Michigan to Arizona and even Alaska. When it’s my turn, I say “Colorado,” and I very humbly explain, “you know, only the best state ever.” If my new companion is from the great state and of course already knows of its status, I tell them I’m from Vail Valley, “You know, only the best place ever.” Though I say it jokingly and I mock it here, I actually do take great pride in my home. When I think about it, I could not have been luckier than to have lived and continue to live in Eagle, Colorado.
Of the ways that growing up in Eagle has affected me, I don’t deny that the most obvious way is through appreciation for the outdoors. My parents weren’t so fortunate to have grown up surrounded by the great outdoors; my mom grew up in the city of Milwaukee and my dad grew up partly in Santa Fe and partly in various cities from LA to Boston. They encouraged us to go outside, and we would go on family hikes and camping trips, but the real love for nature came from the fact that we could do these things in the first place. In Eagle, you can mountain bike, fish, kayak, and hike while a 30-minute drive either East or West will allow you to raft, ski, snowmobile, or climb a mountain. I don’t claim I do all of these things, but the point is that someone can do any of these things if they want, and the people of Eagle are always doing so. The street that I live on at one point included my brothers and I plus about 13 other kids about the same age all with the same affection for being outside.
On summer nights, we would play baseball, tag, hide-and-go-seek, and any other game we could think of until our parents called us home, and when we felt more adventurous, we could go for a bike ride or a hike up on the nearby hill. Our Nintendo Wii sat mostly neglected at home. I’m not saying I don’t play video games, but I feel that growing up here has created a tendency in me too long to be doing something and that there is always something better and more fun to be doing. I’ve also grown a liking towards physical work and the rewards of creating something that you can see every day.
The perks (and pitfalls) of a small town also come with growing up in Eagle. In a town where everybody knows everybody and your mom happens to be possibly the only person in town with one leg, it is nearly impossible to go somewhere where you don’t run into someone that you know or, more likely, your parents know. Often hearing the phrase “Now, are you another Witt boy?” developed my ability to not only respond to questions but also keep a conversation going with actual adults. Most kids in a small town know how this feels and most, though not all, will tell you that they don’t always find it so hard to have mature conversations with people 20, 30, or even 60 years older than themselves.
I could continue to talk about how living in Eagle is different from living anywhere else on the planet, but the truth is that I probably actually couldn’t tell you exactly. I’ve been able to reflect this far on the biggest things that support who I am because Eagle is so unique, but I have also been lucky enough to have traveled to a multitude of places and seen the different areas that people call home. When I try to examine the bigger picture, I see that though Eagle is small and different, there is a lot more it has in common with nearly everywhere else on the planet than it contrasts with them. In realizing this, I believe that there is a great lesson to be learned. No matter how different you may think you are from another, you can find much more than you share, and helping our communities should be viewed as such.
No comments:
Post a Comment