"My Unabashed Ramblings"
It would be great to hear from you. Take a minute or two and tell me what you think. Your Comments, Input, and Opinions will be greatly appreciated. - Bob
It would be great to hear from you. Take a minute or two and tell me what you think. Your Comments, Input, and Opinions will be greatly appreciated. - Bob
"So you think you are interested in making a home in the hills of eastern Kentucky or western Virginia…."
For those of you that are wondering if the hills of eastern Kentucky or western Virginia might make a good home for you I am providing my opinion for your consideration and use. It is only my opinion and is based upon what I have learned from getting to know the people that you will find in and around this area. I do not pretend to be an expert in raw financial and demographic statistics of the area. I do not pretend it is anything but subjective. I am not any better than anyone else out there. I put my pants on one leg at a time and I am not perfect.
I guess you can say I do have an agenda, I really love the area in and around eastern Kentucky and western Virginia and that includes the people.
A little back ground. My ancestors settled in western Virginia in the mid to late 1700s. My father was born and raised in Norton, Virginia just a stones throw from eastern Kentucky. He would take us back to his home in the hills where he was raised at every opportunity. I have spent many years running the hills of eastern Kentucky and western Virginia with the relatives I have in the area and strangely enough they managed to teach this hard-headed kid a lot……… And that was my father’s gift to me.
With that being said here we go:
The folks of eastern Kentucky and western Virginia have always worked hard for the little gifts they have received from this area. What some of those of you outside of the area do not seem to understand is that the people here have chosen this life and they did so with conviction. From the very outset they understood that life in general was not easy and have made the choice to make their lives in these hills. Looking around themselves they cannot imagine how life could be any better. Is it that they do not understand what they are missing? Given the choice of the trappings of the big city life and all that it has to offer I have come to realize that the inhabitants here realize quit well what they are missing. Knowing that life is to fast and to hard in and of itself the people that have made the hard choice to live life a little slower, within the embrace of family and a real community, and surrounded by all this natural beauty understand a great deal more than what we give them credit for.
Now as in the distant past the people in western Virginia and eastern Kentucky are private and proud people and deserve a great deal of respect for the hardships that they have endured. They are a people that will embrace strangers as family. They readily provide for each other in the hard times so that no one will go without. They are not ignorant or uneducated hillbillies that will not accept outsiders. Quit to the contrary they are smart beyond imagination and accepting to a fault. Many of them can still tell you how to eat well without the mega mart on the corner. They have historians that can tell you about the history of the area, archeologist that spend their lives documenting the relics of the past, geologist that can tell all about that rock you have in your hand, foresters that know every tree that can be found in the area, and way to many other experts to be name here. Many may not have a paper certificate, only years of experience. Many may not make a lot of money, but are wealthy none-the-less.
There are those that say the young adults of this area have absolutely no quality of life, little opportunity for success and a descent life and as a result they will leave for the trappings and distractions of the City. In some cases this might be true but if history shows anything it shows that most young adults leave their home and family as a result of an inherent restless pioneer spirit. This is the very same pioneer spirit that settled this country. This is the same pioneer spirit as their ancestors had that brought them to the natural beautiful eastern Kentucky and western Virginia. These young adults like their ancestors will want to know what is out there to explore. Some of them will start new lives outside of the home and community that they were raised in and will spend a major portion of their life thinking and dreaming of what they left behind. Some will ultimately make back to discover that you really can go back home.
Life in the hills of eastern Kentucky and western Virginia is slow, with not much money to be had, and maybe a little behind the rest of the world. There is no one amongst us with the all knowing wisdom that can necessarily say that is a bad thing. The good folks that have chosen this to be their home and path in life do indeed realize what their paradise is, what is truly important in life, and understand the meaning of acceptance regardless of circumstance.
For those of you that might be considering this area for your home there should not be any misconception. Building a life in this area is, will not be, and never has been easy. There will be sacrifices that you will need to make and if you are not willing to make that sacrifice for all that this life has to offer then this may not be your cup of tea. I will not blow smoke up your skirt and tell you life is a bowl of cherries. I cannot tell you which life is best for you. I can tell you that like the people found in this area if this is your cup of tea your sacrifices will be rewarded with riches and wealth that cannot be had with money and status.
My suggestion to you is go to the town you are interested in and settle in for a while. Get to know the people and give them a chance. They seem a little different at first but they will surprise you if you take the time to know and understand them. You will certainly be rewarded with an extended family that you never knew existed. This is true for any place you choose to make your home but it is especially true for area in and around eastern Kentucky and western Virginia.
You have taken the time to read my ramblings and very possibly you might go away with one thing that I have learned from the people of eastern Kentucky and western Virginia that has taken many years for me to understand. “Your paradise is what you make it.”
I guess you can say I do have an agenda, I really love the area in and around eastern Kentucky and western Virginia and that includes the people.
A little back ground. My ancestors settled in western Virginia in the mid to late 1700s. My father was born and raised in Norton, Virginia just a stones throw from eastern Kentucky. He would take us back to his home in the hills where he was raised at every opportunity. I have spent many years running the hills of eastern Kentucky and western Virginia with the relatives I have in the area and strangely enough they managed to teach this hard-headed kid a lot……… And that was my father’s gift to me.
With that being said here we go:
The folks of eastern Kentucky and western Virginia have always worked hard for the little gifts they have received from this area. What some of those of you outside of the area do not seem to understand is that the people here have chosen this life and they did so with conviction. From the very outset they understood that life in general was not easy and have made the choice to make their lives in these hills. Looking around themselves they cannot imagine how life could be any better. Is it that they do not understand what they are missing? Given the choice of the trappings of the big city life and all that it has to offer I have come to realize that the inhabitants here realize quit well what they are missing. Knowing that life is to fast and to hard in and of itself the people that have made the hard choice to live life a little slower, within the embrace of family and a real community, and surrounded by all this natural beauty understand a great deal more than what we give them credit for.
Now as in the distant past the people in western Virginia and eastern Kentucky are private and proud people and deserve a great deal of respect for the hardships that they have endured. They are a people that will embrace strangers as family. They readily provide for each other in the hard times so that no one will go without. They are not ignorant or uneducated hillbillies that will not accept outsiders. Quit to the contrary they are smart beyond imagination and accepting to a fault. Many of them can still tell you how to eat well without the mega mart on the corner. They have historians that can tell you about the history of the area, archeologist that spend their lives documenting the relics of the past, geologist that can tell all about that rock you have in your hand, foresters that know every tree that can be found in the area, and way to many other experts to be name here. Many may not have a paper certificate, only years of experience. Many may not make a lot of money, but are wealthy none-the-less.
There are those that say the young adults of this area have absolutely no quality of life, little opportunity for success and a descent life and as a result they will leave for the trappings and distractions of the City. In some cases this might be true but if history shows anything it shows that most young adults leave their home and family as a result of an inherent restless pioneer spirit. This is the very same pioneer spirit that settled this country. This is the same pioneer spirit as their ancestors had that brought them to the natural beautiful eastern Kentucky and western Virginia. These young adults like their ancestors will want to know what is out there to explore. Some of them will start new lives outside of the home and community that they were raised in and will spend a major portion of their life thinking and dreaming of what they left behind. Some will ultimately make back to discover that you really can go back home.
Life in the hills of eastern Kentucky and western Virginia is slow, with not much money to be had, and maybe a little behind the rest of the world. There is no one amongst us with the all knowing wisdom that can necessarily say that is a bad thing. The good folks that have chosen this to be their home and path in life do indeed realize what their paradise is, what is truly important in life, and understand the meaning of acceptance regardless of circumstance.
For those of you that might be considering this area for your home there should not be any misconception. Building a life in this area is, will not be, and never has been easy. There will be sacrifices that you will need to make and if you are not willing to make that sacrifice for all that this life has to offer then this may not be your cup of tea. I will not blow smoke up your skirt and tell you life is a bowl of cherries. I cannot tell you which life is best for you. I can tell you that like the people found in this area if this is your cup of tea your sacrifices will be rewarded with riches and wealth that cannot be had with money and status.
My suggestion to you is go to the town you are interested in and settle in for a while. Get to know the people and give them a chance. They seem a little different at first but they will surprise you if you take the time to know and understand them. You will certainly be rewarded with an extended family that you never knew existed. This is true for any place you choose to make your home but it is especially true for area in and around eastern Kentucky and western Virginia.
You have taken the time to read my ramblings and very possibly you might go away with one thing that I have learned from the people of eastern Kentucky and western Virginia that has taken many years for me to understand. “Your paradise is what you make it.”
Total Comments 2
Comments
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What a wonderful spokesman you are for we people who live in and love our East Ky. Mountain homes
Posted 01-19-2009 at 09:49 PM by Miss Blue
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wow...nicely put. it must be an inspirational place to be. thank you for your rambling, from tampa, fl.Posted 02-07-2009 at 07:30 PM by cmor
