Middle of Nowhere

Anyone paying attention the last week has no doubt seen the Oxford study floating around that listed the top ten most “middle of nowhere” places in the country. Glasgow was fortunate enough to take the first place spot, and I was musing over the implications of such distinction.

First off, we all already knew what they put out. Glasgow is pretty remote, pretty isolated, and pretty much amazing for that very reason. The breathing room is remarkable, and the random encounters with the ignorance of the rest of the world are more remote. Yeah, I love it, and as a transplant my desire to be here is even greater for me and my family because we chose to live in the middle of nowhere for all the things it had to offer us.

It is remarkable to me every time a friend or family member visits just how quickly the assertion that, “there is nothing to do around here,” leaves their mouth. Seriously? The lack of effort to discover the beauty of being in such a remote and self-reliant place is, while, ignorant. I always protest with the list of things to do the theater, the lake, the river, the Interpretive Center, the Children’s Museum, the small town shops, coffee shops, and art galleries on the downtown stretch. How about the micro-brewery, the restaurants, or any of those things that make this town unique. Or maybe even just the extraordinary people.

The people who stop to ask how your family is, or who hold lengthy catch up conversations in the middle of the day, or who drop everything they need to do to solve your problem or lend a hand. I often stop my protest part way through trying to explain what I see in this small middle of nowhere town. I see it in their eyes usually, and just shrug it off. I know the truth, we all do. Glasgow is an extraordinary place to live for ourselves, our families and our friends, and, frankly, we all want to keep it like that.