Life in the Slow Lane - The Joys of Small Town Living

Really.

I am not making this up.

Recently in my little town, they had a worm race at the local public library.

Frog races? Dog races? Rat races? Sure, you can wrap your brain around that. But, worm races? Not really. But like the latest birthday party or family reunion, it's all in another week's news around here.

What are Rt. 42 Reindeer are doing? Oh, you don't know about them...

The Rt. 42 Reindeer Celebrate Fire Prevention Month in October

Along the main drag, just to the south of town, there's a house where the grapevine reindeer celebrate each month/holiday with tableaux. You can look them up here on Facebook. They have a fan page. People actually watch to see what the reindeer are doing and then report on it in the local newspaper.

While the newspaper in the closest city is reporting death, destruction and personally delivered mayhem, our little town paper plugs right along with the big news stories of the week. You know, worm races, grapevine reindeer and birthday parties. 

Some people might laugh at the lack of "real news", but I think it's a good thing. It's a restful thing. It's a reminder that the whole world isn't really crazy. There are actually people doing normal things like getting up, going to work, raising their kids and loving their families and their country. Everyday people, doing everyday things. And that's important because the everyday is what life is really all about.

The big dramatic things may test us like gold tried in fire, but the everyday hammering is what shapes that substance into the people God wants us to be. It is in getting up to go to work, in doing the laundry and rocking the babies, that we live out our vocations. It is the small, quiet joys that make our life richer and bring us closer to the One who made them all possible.

So, excuse me while I go out and enjoy the sunset from the back deck and watch the chickens make their way to their roosts for the night. Except for the coyotes hanging out in the field out back, there's not much news around here today. And that's just fine with me.