During my years of youth when I resided with my parents, if we went to town then it was automatically implied that we were going to Neosho. We very seldom went to Joplin. Almost never went to Monett and even then, it was not to purchase anything. We did make a pilgrimage to Miami every two weeks because that is where my Grandma Richardson lived and that was the schedule that was maintained for her visits.
For a period of time some occasional trips were made to Rogers as my dear Mother’s sister Juanita and my Uncle Johnny lived there many years ago.
As time went on and I determined that after the trial period of 18 years the living arrangements weren’t working out and I took up residence in Neosho. Even then any journey over 20 miles in length seemed to be outside the norm and considered of a frivolous nature.
So, there I sat in Neosho “stuck in the middle with you” between Joplin and the developing northwest Arkansas, between Springfield and Tulsa with a mindset that seemed to question, “Things are happening there, why not here? Why not us?”
I am still “stuck in the middle with you” but the mindset has changed. This is truly a good place to be. The journey from Neosho to Joplin, Bentonville and its connective tissue to Rogers, Springdale, Fayetteville and the numerous smaller names in between has become a non-issue.
One can leave here and be there in just a matter of minutes. Even Springfield and Tulsa can be travelled to without carrying extra barrels of water or food provisions.
As I sit “stuck in the middle with you.” I am beginning to appreciate the true value of our situation. It is a quiet little nest devoid of the madness, the traffic and the hustle and bustle of continuous motion. We are here and it is there and if we want, we can go there in short order.
Living here provides a calmness that one cannot find in a more populated area. If you hear the siren from one of the local agencies, you know there is a real problem and that sound is not a frequent one.
The most dreaded sound in our household is that chopping associated with the rotating wing on a helicopter. If we hear that, then someone is a bad way and it has been determined that time is of the essence in their transportation to the appropriate medical facility.
To be able to retreat to a quiet refuge has great value. Our community, homes in both the city limits and in the county, is located within a great area at a very opportune time.
Continued growth to the north and south of us will flush out more with the like mind who will search out the gentle solitude that our community offers. A place where one can hear the birds sing, watch white-tail deer run through backyards, be forced to stop and let the ducks use the crosswalk, feel safe in utilizing the many parks or the walking trails. A place where “redneck” engineering occurs daily but there are an ample number of qualified professionals that can repair that problem. Little pockets of seclusion where the internet access, cell phone coverage, and antenna access to local television truly do not exist. Neighborhoods where trusted friends reside that will feed your dog, pick your vegetables and collect your mail on request when you are out of pocket. They are so faithful that sometimes this occurs while you are in the family room watching tv.
Once the mindset of what can happen takes hold and the abandonment of trying to recreate what once was is completed, then the energy that is stored in the potential can be released. That energy can drive the future on a straight, continuous, upward path.
If one keeps repeating the past, expecting a different outcome, then things will keep bouncing around like a bunch of ping-pong balls in a three-pound coffee can tied to be back of a feral pig. Plenty of energy but no direction and no control.
“Stuck in the middle with you” is not a bad place to be, even with clowns to the left of me and jokers to the right. I just couldn’t help myself with this one!
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