mikao's world

Familiarity and Community

Tonight I went to do the exciting errands of shoe shopping and sock purchasing in town after work was over. Colder weather has arrived and my 6 or so pairs of socks that I brought with me to Ontario in May just aren't cutting it any more, I can't wear flip flops every day.

I went to the mall (the half-empty mall with barely any stores) and to Wal*Mart (Canadians used to have Wal-Marts, now we have Wal*Marts... I think America is trying to take over!!! NO TO AMERICA!), and to Your Independent Grocer. In Independent I roamed the aisles and wished oh wished so hard that I would just see someone, anyone that I knew... but then I realized it wasn't Superstore and I wasn't in Moose Jaw.

I miss the feeling of community I once had, after so many years of school in the same place. I miss the feeling of living in a town where I know who everyone is and how they're related to everyone else, I even miss knowing everything about everyone and them knowing everything about me (yikes). I miss going to the grocery store and playing "Caronporters" with my roommate by spotting all the people from school and racking up points.

I miss being able to walk down the hall or down the street to spend time with friends whom I've known for what seems like forever, and having the choice of a multitude of people with whom to spend my time.

There's something lonely about this business of growing up and moving on.