08/20/99
- Temecula, CA
Forget "Old Traditions, New Opportunities;" "There is
nothing so constant as change," should be Temecula's motto! I think a study should be
done on the psyche of those who live in places constantly changing. It has to affect us:
never knowing when you leave the house what construction you will run into going across
town, having to keep finding new hills to run your dog, or horse for that matter, because
houses have popped up along your regular route, changing schools one more time.
As for change, this is my last column for a small town newspaper. It’s not that
I'm leaving or the paper is folding, but by my next column, Temecula will be a big town.
With the Robinson's/May grand pre-opening on August 31st, the beginning of the end is
here. From now on life will be divided PM/AM - pre-mall and after mall. Just like many of
us mark time by the birth of children, we'll now hear ourselves say, "Well, that was
before the mall . . ." or to emphasize how long we have lived here we'll say to
newcomers, "Well, before the mall . . . ."
When we moved here, fresh from the urban sprawl of our upbringings, I had my first
reality check about small towns when my three-year-old son threw up in the Ben Franklin
store. The next time we went, the cashier kindly asked how my boy was feeling. At first it
didn't compute, but then I realized she remembered us. That loss of anonymity was a shock
I wasn't sure I would appreciate.
But I did come to appreciate it. I liked the sign at the high school which said
"no horses" and invitations to friends’ parties that included "bring
your horses." I liked calling the doctor about a sick child and the receptionist
saying to bring him down. The last time I called for an appointment, I went through three
different people and an insurance check, and I haven’t changed practices. I also
liked that people knew our history and that I didn’t need to explain it over again to
the receptionist, and then the nurse, and then the contact lenses orderer.
I think Temecula has grown up to be the city envisioned when it incorporated ten years
ago. I hope we can find a balance. It’s not so much that in a city you don’t
know people, it is more that in a city you stop wanting to get to know people. You
only see people once. No longer will the movie ushers and grocery store clerks feel like
long time friends, but does that mean we can’t still take an interest in one another?
Can we still help someone with a flat tire on the side of the road or say a nice word to a
mother with a screaming toddler in the grocery store, like we would if that woman were our
friend? That’s my goal for living in this AM world. |