I live in rural America. Almost all the people in my life live in cities.
There really is a difference. It’s easy to frame that difference in terms of politics. That’s easy and convenient. It is also wrong. Very wrong.
I stopped along the road between Rock Hill and York South Carolina. You should know this about living in the country: if a car is stopped on the side of the road, the driver needs assistance. Period. They can be male, female, old, young, black, purple, green, yellow or white. If a car pulls over, the driver needs assistance. Period. And everybody stops. Even me …and I know NOTHING about cars. But I stop and say what everyone says: Are You OK?
As an artist, I often pull over to take a photograph .. a landscape, some horses, a guy with a cross …. if I see something beautiful, I want to capture it .. remember it …. save it forever. Maybe I will paint it, and maybe I won’t. But I want to save that image for later … I want to drink it …. taste it … feel it … AGAIN. So I pulled over to take a picture of this guy … walking down the street with a wooden cross. I’ve seen him before, many times actually. And so on this morning, I pulled over to take a photo of him.
And of course. Someone immediately stoped and asksed “are you ok?” I used my customary dismissal: “I am from the city.” That usually sends them on their way.
But not today. If I had said, “mama is very sick and I was crying so much I couldn’t see” I know I would have ended up in someone’s kitchen eating tomato sandwiches and drinking home brew. So I said, “I’m okay.”
He smiled at me and said, “next time, why don’t you stop and talk with him. He is smart and interesting. You should hear what he has to say.”
And I will do that. Stay tuned.
