And we need to look no further than traffic to acknowledge the blessings of one aspect of life in Stillwater. Granted, I can experience a little frustration when there are more than five cars in front of me at a stoplight – that’s heavy traffic for us! But considering the congestion and commute times in major metropolitan areas, aren’t we fortunate?
Just a few weeks ago I got a pleasant reminder that we enjoy a small-town atmosphere in Stillwater. My wife is a runner, and she and her running partner often look for new routes to run. They dreamed up a one-way route that required us to take her car and leave it in a designated location so they could run to it the next morning. So we picked a quiet street at the end of the route to park her car overnight. Shortly after we got home from leaving her car, our phone rang. I checked our Caller ID and was slightly alarmed to see that the Stillwater Police Department was calling. When I answered, a nice gentleman described my wife’s car and asked if I was the owner. Confirming that I was, he then asked, “Has it been stolen?” As I began stammering, he explained: a neighbor on the street where we left the car spotted it and was concerned that perhaps it had been stolen and abandoned there, so he called the police. Relieved, I explained how the car came to be there. All was well. The officer cheerfully bade me good night and we ended our conversation. Some might think this little episode is the result of a nosy neighbor, but I’m glad that this neighbor made it his business to check the situation out. His motives were good. I’m grateful that we live in a place where citizens are also good neighbors.
What aspects of our small-town atmosphere do you most appreciate?