The same, only different.

I went back to Ohio this weekend to visit family.  My hometown – or I should say the town closest to my parents’ house - is a small one, or at least used to be.  I grew up with a rotary phone, a party line (2 neighboring houses shared our same phone line), no ability to get a pizza (or any other food) delivered and 42 people in my graduating class.  Small.

But now, that closest town is not so small.  The only chain restaurants we used to have were fast food, or the Ponderosa buffet.  But now, Olive Garden, Max & Erma’s and Cheddars dot the horizon and it houses 2 Wal-Mart stores.  There is much more traffic, much more to do and many more options for restaurants.  This is great, especially for those that live there – it means the economy is good and jobs are available.  But for me it is sad to see old schools, restaurants and other buildings torn down to make way for these new, “better” buildings, franchises and just overall progress. 

Somehow, living out-of-state and only seeing it infrequently, I always expect it to be the same as it was – and in some ways, it is - the historic homes and big trees are still there, along with the city pool, cute neighborhoods , county fairgrounds and most importantly, Dietsch's ice cream.  And out by my parents’ home, few things have changed except new homes are being built on previous farmland.  Somewhere deep down, I expect progress, but it never fails to surprise me. 

In some selfish way, I want it to be exactly the same, even though I know the growth is good – small towns have it tough in today’s world where people flock to cities.  Findlay, Ohio – to me you are the same, only different.