"Friendly Mountain Town"

Because this is a very friendly community and I'm naturally outgoing, the connections are exciting.

 , I have given out my phone number  20 to 90x a month every month since I moved here. One of the reasons Mountain Town is so friendly (some posit) is because everybody is a transplant not truly being able to claim it as their own, 'cept the Native Americans.

  We are a combination of artists, transients, tourist and college students. In the moments and/or hours in which I'm making new connections, my life feels rich.

This time when my imitrex was ready I actually had all the co pay funds..  A woman let me go ahead of her when she heard my name called. After I got my medicine, I picked up $5.60 worth of  groceries, then  got in line.

  A woman said, "you go ahead of me" She then laughed and said "Hey, I was already nice to you once today, I can't afford to be nice to you again!" I laughed and I said, you go ahead I don't need to go first. I told her that I was in my 3rd day of a migraine. She said "I can't believe you are still standing up!" "You know" she went on "3 days with a migraine?! I'd like to buy your groceries!"

"I accept!" I said. It just might have been the first thing to make me smile in days! (In my experience, these kindnesses almost never happened in Baltimore) For as low as my qol is, I don't think life would be any better anywhere else, as long as I'm in poverty.

"A book called Seven"

There is a lady on the bus who wears a gold cross around her neck, and reads the book Seven.  She loves to wear the color purple.

Just before she disembarked, she handed me a twenty dollar bill!  I said: "Why?"  but there was no response.

The next time i see her i am going to hand her a beautiful postcard.  On the back I am going to write:

"God knows your beautiful"  Graciously, Elana.

I went ahead and bought a homeless guy breakfast with the money today as well as bought myself an egg sandwich.

It really does touch my heart to live ina community now where things like this are more common.

I had dreamed for 20 years about living in intentional community but there really isn't much for poor and disabled.

www.ic.org
www.thefec.org

In my last neighborhood it was "every man for himself"  but where i live now, a guy on the bus the other day said:  "Maam, your bag looks heavy (i was moving)  is there anything i can do to help?"

"YES! i replied boldly and emphatically!  I let him walk me most of the way home!

"Strong sense of community.........but"

I have a strong sense of community in Mountain Town and I feel well liked.  However, my quality of life is unacceptable, and my specific life conditions are deplorable.