America’s Heart was Vanishing

I had reached the conclusion that the true heart of America was vanishing forever. Communities were no longer cohesive collectives of people helping people and neighbors actually knowing each other’s name.

I grew up in the 1970’s. During the summers I would play outside all day with my friends. It took a stern warning to be in when the first street light came on at night. Many nights I would pretend to ignore this, but then I would hear my mother’s voice calling my name. Everyone on my street knew everyone else. I made a couple extra dollars by mowing and raking some of the elder’s yards throughout the year. People would sit on their porches and community barbeques were common during the spring and summer months.

My parents never worried where I was playing. They knew they could call a couple houses and find me quickly. They threatened me on nice days to get outside and stay out of the house. Times have really changed.

Now kids stay home and plug themselves into computers and 800 channels of satellite television. They play video games and chat online with their friends. The streets in my last town were absent the sound of children’s voices. I never really knew my neighbors and they never seemed to care to ever introduce themselves to me. We live in a time of distrust and fear, at least that was what I had come to believe.

I recently moved into the West Salem community. I could go on about what a monstrous move that was, but now that I am settling I have had a change of mind. The old communities of my youth still do exist. I know my neighbors and found that there was an actual community organization that passed on news and sponsored events. People wave and I am able to walk on real sidewalks that I share with children running with dogs and playing till the street lights come on.

For the first time since my youth I can say that I feel like I have come home again. My home as a child was in Clearwater Beach Florida, but I did go to high school in Winston- Salem. When I say home, I mean that I feel neighbors look after one another and plan activities and celebrate life together. I can sigh a relief that the heart of America has not died yet, it is exists in the tiny community of West Salem.