Big cities have a lot to offer.  I've lived in, or near, a large city most of my adult life.  Sometimes I think it would be nice to live in a small town or at least nice to have lived somewhere long enough that people recognize me.  Seems that after 10 years I'm approaching that level of familiarity with some of the local merchants.  This morning I ran a couple errands and got that small town experience.  One elicited just the sort of warm feelings I imagine is common in a small town.  The other reminded me of just how citified I really am.

Dropped off my dry cleaning and the owner chatted with me for awhile about my job and asked how my partner was doing. He knows both me and my partner by name and he remembers what's going on in our lives. I know it's good business, but the reality is that most shops just take your payment, process your order and move on to the next customer.  Anyway, the few moments of conversation were nice.

The second errand was dropping my bike off for repair.  Here the owner took a quick look and told me it would be ready this afternoon.  He then wheeled the bike to the back of his shop.  I asked if I should take a claim check with me.  He was all, "No, no.  I know you."

I know he knows me.  I'm not in there that often but my partner is in the shop a lot.  The guy does know us.   But he just wheeled an entire paycheck of mine into the rear of his shop and part of me very much wanted evidence of that.

But I do know this guy, I trust him and I'm pretty sure that this is how he was use to doing business in his old country.  So, I left my bike sans claim check, reminding myself that this is the type of close knit sense of community I want.  Still, I can't help thinking about my bike and my lack of that claim check which I would have gotten in a national retail establishment.

I always felt being in a small town where you're known would be a secure feeling.  I was amused to find that the experience left me feeling a little bit of the opposite!