My people own black shirts with bright neon yellow letters across the chest that say “Loma Goes Hollywood”. They’re dated from so far back you don’t see too many people wearing them around anymore. In fact it only gets brought up when “Hit That Dive” goes to Bar M, or when Patrick Swayze died. Other than that, not too many people talk about Loma, given that fewer people live there than a Walmart employs. Loma is in fact a type of town that most people have forgotten existed, or didn’t even still know were around. I’m sure there are places like this all around the United States, but Loma happens to be one of my little places.

I feel blessed to have grown up around towns like this. Maybe I didn’t think so at the time, because I could never get away with doing anything since everyone knew what car all the kids drove, but I feel that way now. I can feel it when I return to those places now, like curling down into an old blanket that smells like home. It’s not just the fact that everyone knows everyone, or you’re related to everyone, or your family owned the grocery store (which Loma doesn’t have by the way) it’s way more than that. For me there was always a sense of safety. Not safety that nothing bad was going to happen there, but safety like… if you forgot your credit card and didn’t have enough cash to pay for the gas you just pumped, the person behind you in line would be able to help you out, because they’re your neighbor, and they actually owed you for the eggs you brought over last week. Safety and Tradition. Usually towns like Loma are known for being old fashioned, but the knowledge to make your grandma’s apple strudel, and dress chickens (or hypnotize chickens!) or the best products to buy from the dollar store to clean your stove, is some of the most useful knowledge I have. I wouldn’t have gained any of it growing up anywhere else.

Living 1,000 miles from home, I don’t just miss the place itself, although a person does miss where they hold their childhood memories, I miss the small towns that you can only get to through gravel roads. Not many census signs read under 1000 or 500, but I still know where to find a few.