my home (you may hate it, but i like it)

i once heard "beattyville is not a destination"...
to many this maybe true.
to many this is just a small town with nothing to do.
a poor community that is riddled with drug abuse and poverty.
a redneck town that is not in touch with the world outside of the mountains that surround it.
i am not going to lie. most of these thoughts are true, but if you look closer you will see more.
you will see a town that still has life it in. sure it may be a life hooked to life support, but it is still breathing.
and i am thankful for that.
i actually love my little town.
i love being able to walk down the street and have people speak to me. to have a real conversation while waiting at the bank.
to have a community that will support the newest person to battle cancer.
the list could go on.
i could never find this in a large city. to find such a close community or another woolly worm festival (i actually think there is another town that has one, but it's not the same...or so i tell myself).
i would never be able to walk out on my porch and look at the stars and that odd planet that looks like it is moving in a figure 8 pattern (long story, but i swear it is moving).
i will not deny that some times i wish we had more to do in this town, but i think that is the charm of this place. it forces us to go for a walk in the woods or to just slow down and sit on the porch and watch the clouds race over the hillsides.
beattyville may not be a destination, but it is my home.
it is the town that i want to raise my son. where i know that people will be watching his every move and run to tell me when he is doing some thing that he shouldn't.
i want to die in this town.
some would look at me with pity...
"there is so much more out there."
"why would you want to stay in a place that is dying?"
and my answer to them... because i want to.
i have spent a lot of time away from beattyville. i enjoy city life, but only for a short time.
i guess i am more country than i want to admit some times.
so if you are ever traveling through kentucky... stop by beattyville... i promise to buy you an ale8 and take you for a nice slow walk through the mountains.