living where I work

This morning I am aware for the first time in a few months that my town is springing back to life - pun intended!  At the shop yesterday some Argentine polo players dropped in to say they were back from the season in Florida.  The clothing store I work in connects through the back to the Journeymen Saddlers and for years it has been the defacto crossroads for anyone in the equestrian world out here.  The owner, ms. Punkin Lee, can trace many generations back in these parts and is also the current president of the business association.  She told me every year, like geese, the men stop in just to say they are back.  this struck me as so poignant.  How can one quantify the importance of having service businesses that endure year after year so that they function both as personal checkpoints and professional destinations.  I have lived here for 19 years and realize that I too can begin to see evidence of my early clients bringing their children to me.  It is a great gift to pour your energy into something so precious as a small town.  It is not easy in many ways because when things are tough there are fewer places to hide.  I can't say i've never "moved to the other side of the street" to avoid an interaction with someone i could not find an amicable resolution with.  But I work in the field I do precisely because it is the relationships I value and my design work is merely the vehicle i use to explore them.  In the true sense of the world - all explorers end up backtracking now and again.  In a small town, the bread crumbs are easier to spot in a dark night.  I had to laugh as I heard one of the polo players yesterday ask about me in his broken english.  Will she remember me?  She made my es-wife's dress 10 years ago.  Punkin laughed and said "Wendy doesn't distinguish what number wife they are - if she likes you - you're always the bride."