Speaking Personally: Leaving the latch-string out

The last time I visited a big city, I came home to Willow Springs feeling very self-conscious about the way I had been wearing my socks. You see, last summer in Toronto, the biggest difference I could not ignore was that there were 20-somethings everywhere we went. On public transport. In the museums. Holding protests. In Tim Horton’s. In masses on the sidewalks. More than any other age group, we saw young and hip college-age kids.

 

Their street style put my nearly-forty-year-old mom fashion to shame, and I updated a few things about my wardrobe when I returned to the Ozarks. This is, of course, a very silly impact on my life, but much more seriously – I have been mulling all year over the demographic difference I saw there. It caught my attention because I simply do not see folks that age in my daily life around Howell County. 

 

Not with any frequency that would make me want to buy new socks, anyway.

 

The issue in your hands is our fifth graduation edition for Willow Springs High School. For five years, I have prayed for and rejoiced over the most promising students as they light out towards their bright futures. I always hope that some of them will wing their way back to Willow and shine some of their light here. 

 

Today’s column is for the Class of 2025. No one can begrudge you going to college or heading off to a larger city as you stand at the doorway of adulthood. However, in case no one has told you - there is a whole business community in Willow Springs ready to support, guide, and foster you if you should come home in a few years.

 

For such a small town, Willow has a staggering wealth of experienced and acclaimed professionals. There is a fierce culture of hometown pride. There’s something so special about this community that it is attracting outsiders who want to live as the Bears do. There is not much here - except a peculiar mix of potential and nostalgia. 

 

When you come home to visit, cast an entrepreneur’s eye at the downtown storefronts. If you’re headed into professional practice, consider bringing that practice to Willow Springs. 

 

Larger towns may have the more readily available opportunities, but that does not mean there are no opportunities back home. The Ozarks are starved for many of the services and amenities available elsewhere. I’d like to think the hometown consumers would show up in force to support hometown kids who invest their future back into Willow Springs. 

 

Think it over. 

 

Congratulations Class of 2025. The world, and all it can offer, is at your feet. Chase your dreams but know that the business and community leaders of Willow Springs will be working hard in your absence preserving and moving the town forward, and we will leave the latch-string out for you.