As our town continues to clean up after what was a massive freezing rain storm last week, I took a minute to reflect on how lucky we are to live in a small community. In this latest storm, we lost power for 60 hours. Living in town, this really was a first time for us, however, we never felt alone.

We had friends offer hot showers, offer to pick up anything we needed anywhere, offers to help fix generators, to go and warm up and on and on. Our town opened up the arena to allow for charging stations, a warm spot to warm up and had hot showers available. I know that many people were offered help cleaning up fallen trees and many things that I may not even have thought of. This goes to show that we all look out for one another. It really is the small town way.

Growing up, I couldn’t wait to hit the road and get out of my small, suffocating town. I hated that everyone knew me and every move I made (and made sure my parents knew also.) I did have a stint living in the city, which I somewhat enjoyed. I enjoyed proximity to different services, such as gyms, malls and the variety of restaurants, and theatres.

When we took the leap and moved back home 10 years ago, I was nervous, scared, anxious and excited. I was looking for the small town feel that I missed, looking to say hi to my neighbours in the grocery store and on the street, looking to get to know the people in our community, looking to be part of the community. All of a sudden I wanted our kids to grow up in the small town world where everyone knew them and every move they made (which I guess means, I would know every move also) and I cared less about variety.

I wanted the familiar feel of waitresses that knew us and a storeowner who appreciated our presence. Once we settled here, I started to feel these sought after warm feelings. I’m so happy we made the leap to come back hom.

Sure, I’ve missed some of the conveniences of large city living but really I’ve appreciated more and more the space, the sense of community and the feeling of belonging in my small town. I wouldn’t trade this for big city living ever. I know my kids are growing up, building long lasting relationships and friendships. I also hope that this sense of community keeps them cocooned for years to come the same way it did for me.

Thank you to all the hydro workers who worked tirelessly to restore the modern conveniences of power. We see you and we appreciate you.