For the first time since graduating from high school seven years ago, I was excited to return home to Greenfield, a small town of less than 2,000 people in southwest Iowa. I had been away for a year and a half in China and I yearned to be surrounded once again by the fresh air and cornfields. This wasn’t my first time abroad and it won’t be my last, but this time, I didn’t miss special foods or anything material from home. I missed the feeling, the vibe of a small town completely content with its simple existence.
Flying into the Des Moines airport, it were the farms, all measured off in perfect one-mile squares and the perfectly straight, clean roads mapping out each town that brought a smile to my face. From the small, almost empty, aircraft flying me in from Chicago, I realized I had forgotten how beautiful and green Iowa was. I had forgotten how calm and tranquil the town square was on a Sunday afternoon. As I parked my car, it was almost eery how few obstructions I had to work around while taking photos. The only people passing by were couples out for a Sunday drive, enjoying the cloudless, blue sky and the warmth of the afternoon sun.
Greenfield in my opinion is not a place to recommend to tourists or to boast about because there are so many sites to visit. With such a small population, and even smaller towns surrounding us, we’re lucky to have the few prosperous businesses that we do, let alone a list of “places to see”. But, in returning this time, I realized what we do have to offer. Greenfield is a place to raise your family, to build your home, to grow old. It’s a place where deconstruction is not common. It’s a place where opera houses are restored and Carnegie libraries are put to use long after the books are gone. People here build new and preserve the old.
My hometown is a place where young children can ride their bikes to school, where the grocery store is within walking distance, and where there are numerous open areas to teach a young teenager how to drive. My hometown has many successful people who stay to support it, always looking for new businesses to bring in and always keeping the old looking new. Unfortunately, these few passionate people aren’t enough. The old courthouse and newly renovated Opera House aren’t enough to keep the younger generations around.
Returning to Greenfield, to the places I used to spend quiet Sunday afternoons, I was not flooded with old memories. I quickly realized that my decision to leave was for good reason and that I’d never be able to return to make a life here. Instead, in coming home, I was able to recognize the charm in my quaint, rural town that I was never able to appreciate before. I’m grateful there are people that care about keeping our town an appealing place to live and especially about keeping it a perfect place to return to. When I’m seeking the feeling of home after being away for such a long time, it’s comforting knowing there’s a place called Greenfield that’s always waiting for me.
Undiscovered Sunsets 