Your Hometown

I took my town for granted, thinking that it'd always be there for
me. I believed that I would always be able to go and sit by the Thames
and eat a sandwich on a sunny day. I rarely bothered to look up in
wonder at the sights such as "Big Ben," or the "London Eye". They were
always just a short bus ride away and I could see them any time I
wanted. The parks in London, where people fell off their skateboards
and stilettos were a constant in my world and therefore somewhat prone
to disappearing into the background of the richness of London life. I
complained about the Underground, but still it got me to where I needed
to be, without much fuss and I don't believe I fully appreciated it's
worth. The noise of the traffic sometimes kept me awake at nights but
often it served as a lullaby, with it's roaring and rumbling song. You
don't really notice the fumes, after 30 years or so.

I guess I ought to have visited the cinemas a little more often than I
did. After all, I was spoiled for choice and could have enjoyed my
proximity to Leicester Square more readily than I did. I could even
have become a theatre buff too, but at the time, it didn't really
appeal too much to me. Somehow, I regret that. As for music, I had the
opportunity to be out each and every night of the week, finding new
bands to enjoy or endure. London has an embarrassment of riches when it
comes to music and clubs. Any and every sort of musical taste is
catered for, and I became blas? about it all. If I missed a band or
club night, it'd not matter too much as there was always another time.
I let that slip away from me, and I wish I hadn't. I could have eaten
out in the most wonderful style. It's not something that many people
can afford to do on a regular basis, but I had the opportunity to eat
my way around the globe without leaving my home town. Of course, there
was Chinese food but there were French, African, Arabic and even
Vietnamese places that I'd meant to try... I never did so, and now it's
all too far away for me to think about.

It is possible to become blind to the wonders of your own home town and
there's only two ways that you can wake up to this fact. One way is to
go out now and rediscover all the things that you really love about
where you are, and to make the most of what it has to offer. The other
way is to leave town and live in a place that has none of the
excitement and life that you once took for granted so glibly. So, what
am I saying with this piece? It's simply that you have to make the most
of everything that you have got and don't allow yourself to become
jaded. Believe me, you would miss it if it were gone...