Bytes from the Bean by Joe Manning 8-16-9912:00AM / Monday, August 16, 1999
The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Through as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
On a recent Saturday, my wife and I spent a nice afternoon visiting Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, a captivating little village along the Deerfield River. It reminds me of North Adams. Though it fell victim to the decline of manufacturing, it has seen an economic resurgence based on tourism and a growing art community. Like North Adams, it is isolated by the mountains. Shelburne Falls is divided in half by a short bridge over the river. The bridge serves as a meeting place for residents, since they wind up passing each other day after day as they walk back and forth across the river.
We ate lunch in a busy café, browsed through touristy shops, and sat on the front steps of historic Memorial Hall and watched people come and go. Shelburne Falls has been named by a national publication as one of the best art towns in America. No doubt, its setting in the river valley and the well-preserved downtown buildings attract artists and inspire creative minds.
Predictably though, two chance encounters with local citizens reflected a lack of appreciation for the finer points of their hometown. The visitors center had plenty of brochures about the obvious: the Mohawk Trail, the famous Bridge of Flowers, and the nearby waterfall. I asked about a self-guided walking tour. The volunteer at the counter told me, "We used to have a guide, but we ran out a while ago. There's not much to see anyway." On our way home, we stopped for gas just down the river from Main Street. I chatted with the young man pumping gas.
"You grow up here?"
"Yea."
"What's it like growing up here?"
"B-O-R-I-N-G. You must be from out of town."
"That's right."
"Mister, I don't know why anyone would ever want to come here"
My wife and I love to walk. Our favorite weekend activity is picking out a city or town that we've driven through and just go there and walk around. We discover all sorts of interesting stuff that one never notices from a car. No matter how bland a city or town looks to the casual observer, an exploration on foot will reveal unique subtleties and gems of hidden beauty. It is ironic that most casual observers are likely to be the ones who live there. Thus, we have the bored gas jockey who sounds like the person in the Steve Earle song called, "Someday."
"There ain't a lot you can do in this town
You just drive down to the lake and then you turn back around"
It's not surprising. Often, there are few opportunities for young people in these otherwise attractive communities. Witness some of my favorite places: Bellows Falls, Vermont, Hoosick Falls, New York, and Housatonic, Massachusetts. All are blessed with lovely period architecture, cozy neighborhoods, quiet streets, and scenic vistas. These appealing qualities can obscure the turmoil beneath the tranquility and the darkness behind bright windows.
KITCHEN HELPER
I work at a restaurant over in Williamstown
I stuff the freakin' lobsters...
five-fifty an hour
Nadine waits on tables
takes home seventy-five bucks a night
with tips and all
I live on Eagle Street above the barber shop
Sometimes my boy friend sleeps over
when he's not workin' nights at the factory
He says he's gettin' laid off soon
Someday I'm gonna get my GED
and then I'm outta here
c 1997 Flatiron Press
Regardless of where we grow up, everyone at one time or another will say, "I can't wait to get outta here." Most of us have plans and dreams that seem impossible to fulfill in our hometown. We see or hear about other places, some far away, and believe that our opportunities are better there. Sometimes, living conditions are so bad where we are that we have little choice but to go elsewhere.
The exodus of Northern European immigrants to America would not have occurred if those people had been satisfied with or resigned to their living conditions. The same holds true for the wave of Italians and Eastern European immigrants a century ago, and the diverse ethnic groups and nationalities of recent immigrants. Without this quest for a better life, we would have no progress. Technological and industrial innovations are born of the discovery of new raw materials and natural resources and changing needs of the different climates and topography of newly populated areas.
On the other hand, dissatisfaction with one's surroundings can be shortsighted and based on whimsy. The kitchen helper in the poem has done little to improve her opportunities, having left school before graduating. If she had prepared herself for the future, she might have a good job now and feel better about where she lives. After all, there is no promise that going somewhere else will change anything.
I had my chance…when I was nineteen
Earl wanted to go to California
when we got married
but I wasn't sure
so we didn't
c 1997 Flatiron Press, from "Elderly Housing"
The speed and convenience of modern travel and the broader job opportunities resulting from increased education have made us an even more mobile society than we had in the "frontier days." Like our ancestors, we are tempted to pull up stakes and journey toward the bigger and better, lest we regret missing our chance.
My travels in North Adams as an author have led me to many natives who chose to leave home, but eventually returned. The experience has given them a deeper appreciation of their home town. More importantly, North Adams has benefited from their decision to come back. Three examples come to mind: Maryanne Santelli, Mark Rondeau, and Eileen Gloster. Each has used their talents to improve and enrich the quality of life here. Maryanne runs the Conte Drama Team and the Conte Program to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. As Editor of The Advocate, Mark has helped to create a community-minded newspaper that deals with important local issues. Eileen, along with friend Karen Kane, has turned a vacant storefront into a sparkling meeting place for writers, musicians, and art enthusiasts. You know the place. Papyri Books.
I receive lots of email and letters from former North Adams residents from all over the country. Some have achieved or exceeded their expectations and don't regret leaving. Thus, they have made a positive contribution to their adopted community. Others regret leaving and want to return. For them, it's a long way back.
If we grow weary and disenchanted with our hometown, we have two choices. We can look for a new beginning somewhere else, or we can stay and help to make things better. Like Robert Frost, we are faced with a dilemma. The way I see it, in these restless and often lonely times, the road "less traveled by" is the one that leads us home.
Visit Joe's website at: www.sevensteeples.com.
Email Joe at: manningfamily@rcn.com. |
