We drove and drove to Cottonwood Cove

I’ve lived in big cities all my life, so small towns are so foreign to me. Any town that doesn’t have a shopping mall boggles my mind! How do people survive?! My husband, on the other hand, was born in Darbyville, OH. At the time, the population was less than 100 people. He would joke that they would roll up the streets when the sun went down. He said this affectionately, for he said nothing beats living in a small town.  At this remark, I would look at him as if he grew another head.

Early in our marriage, he talked me into going on a camping trip. I have to admit, I was not thrilled at the prospect of spending a couple of days in a tent. Driving out of Las Vegas, we came across a small town named Cottonwood Cove, NV.  We spied the little restaurant to get some breakfast. I recall the restaurant was small, and clean, with local people milling around the counter. The atmosphere was relaxed and a feeling of down-home permeated through the walls. The locals were in conversations about their daily lives, laughter sprinkled throughout.

 We sat down and started looking through the menu. After I selected what I was going to eat, I looked about the restaurant.  One thing I saw shocked me--it was the cash register.  Actually, it wasn’t a cash register, but a cash drawer full of money sitting by itself on the counter. Being from large cities (Santa Monica, CA and Las Vegas), I had never seen anything like this before in my life. Here was a till full of cash, sitting in plain sight!  I kept thinking surely someone will lock this drawer full of money up, but no one did. There it sat, the food servers going to it periodically to place payments and make change. I worried that someone would rush in and snatch the drawer, and again no one did. This was perfectly normal in their world.

I pointed this out to my husband, who smiled and said, “This is a small town, isn’t it great!” Until that moment in that restaurant, I had no idea why he liked small towns. I always believed large cities had so much to offer—theaters, trendy restaurants, countless stores, bright lights. Of course, big cities offer other things not so desirable—pollution, crime and unfriendliness.  

  For the first time, I let my mind be quiet and enjoyed the simplicity and serenity.  I decided if the opportunity should present itself (which it did a few years later), I wouldn’t shy away from moving to a small town. The move was well worth the trade-off and I have that small restaurant in Cottonwood Cove to thank for this change of heart.