On Spending the Weekend Alone, or what I’ve been doing instead of writing

On Spending the Weekend Alone, or what I’ve been doing instead of writing

I’m writing this in late October, on a Friday at about 10 pm. I haven’t written much lately, because I’ve been wishing I was doing something else. Hanging out with friends definitely makes the top of the list. Or it would make the top of the list if there were a lot of friends out here.

I suppose I should start a bit earlier. When I talked about letting go of fear in kendo, I started to become more self-confident, and this has led to me rekindling some old friendships and reaching out to new people. It’s also led to me learning some things about…well, being human and how to better deal with life in general that I only wish I had learned sooner. I’ve been more willing to talk with people and even make my views on topics known, which has sometimes been good and sometimes bad.

While I’ve been reaching out to people, I’ve also started to realize that I need to put myself out into the world more. This may sound a little crazy when this blog has been all about what I’ve been doing out in the world, but there’s a difference between being a visitor for a day or so and actually forming lasting relationships. The problem is that, while I have quite a few people that I know now, I haven’t really formed a lot of friendships.

If you were to ask me why that is, I could offer a lot of reasons. I could tell you that I have drastically different hobbies than most of the people around here. I have nothing against watching stock car races or snowmobiling or dirt biking or hitting the bar on the weekend, but my tastes run toward things like comic books, board games, role-playing games and martial arts. I could tell you that timing is a big part of it. I’m usually out of town during the quarterly events when the Rochester Gaming Club has their open game day, and that when I’m up in Rochester for kendo the used bookstore/gaming store/comic book store is closed. I could tell you that my efforts to invite people over have so far crashed and burned, where one group of people I invited over decided not to show up and decided not to tell me about it. However, a large part of it has been my decisions. Sometimes I’m fine with being alone. Sometimes I really don’t want to get out and meet new people because I don’t know how they’ll think of me, which isn’t easy to admit.

But for right now, there aren’t a lot of people around. Family is off visiting, working, or having fun with their girlfriends or wives. Most of my online friends are out getting ready to travel or going out to clubs. And I’m sitting here feeling a bit lonely, honestly. I’m not trying to gain anyone’s sympathy, because by the time this is posted I’ll be feeling  better. Actually, I’m feeling better even as I’m writing this. That’s one of the good things about loneliness—just reaching out is enough to make it go away. The bad part is once you realize you’re in a situation where you are lonely and you realize your list of friends is a little thin, you have to put in some effort to change it. Actually, you have to put in a lot of effort, especially if you aren’t used to it.

So this is why I haven’t been writing on this blog a lot. I will get back to it. There are more things I want to touch on, but I want this blog to be part of me putting myself out into the world. Hopefully future posts will reflect that.

The Exchange

A couple of new stores have opened up in Cresco in the last couple of weeks. The first was Fifi and Fido’s, a pet store that had a run of less than two months. Then there’s The Exchange, which has lasted longer despite being the most out of place store in Cresco.

If the Exchange were in Decorah, it would be right at home. Decorah is a haven for art gallery type places, which The Exchange is. It’s also home to those places that love hosting arts, crafts, and eclective things like masseuses, which The Exchange does. While I don’t know that Decorah has a store where people can sell their crafts, which The Exchange does, I would not be surprised if they did.

Maybe that’s the secret to The Exchange’s success. It wouldn’t be out of place in Decorah at all. It might, in fact, be hard-pressed to stand out from the crowd. But in Cresco it’s a beacon of art, culture and making your own way.

Part of this is due to the proprietor, Christine. She’s a former IT manager from Reno who grew up in Cresco, went to college, moved far away, and then came back. Chalk it up to a life-changing experience. I’d like to honor her privacy and not say exactly what it was. But she wanted to live out her dream, so she started making pottery. She’s got a potter’s wheel, a kiln, and she displays her work in the showroom floor.

It’s not just her work, either. She displays arts and crafts from several people, and this can be anything from photographs to homemade laundry detergent—which smells great, by the way.  Artists and craftspeople from all around Cresco are bringing their wares out to display to the public, and never mind that the number of artists seems to be in the single digits. I think art is kind of like a virus—a small sample gets into the system, takes root, and little by little starts to expand its influence. Only instead of killing what it comes in contact with, it inspires people to take up brushes, cameras, needles and thread or whatever medium they can think of and use it to create something uniquely theirs.

Then there are the activities. A masseuse operates out of the second floor. In the evening, hip-hop dancing classes are held, Pilates classes are offered, and at this point God only knows what else. The sky seems to be the limit with this place.

A large part of this has to deal with Christine herself. At the risk of offending the people I know who grew up somewhere, went to college and then came back, I cannot understand why anyone would do that, particularly if you didn’t grow up in a city, like Chicago or New York. Even a smaller city like Rochester or Grand Rapids I could understand. But growing up in a small town, seeing the wider world, and then coming back to the same small town? I don’t understand. Christine has done this, though, and she does love the town, even as she strives to bring some culture into the area. And if you were to speak to her, she is so determined, so optimistic and so passionate about it that I would bet on her succeeding. I want this to work for her, because when I talked with her she was so happy about what she was doing it was almost infectious. I could feel myself want to start making pottery and trying to sell it, a desire that has previously eluded me.

I’ll end this blog with a plug to go visit The Exchange’s Facebook page.  If you’re in the area, I can’t recommend it enough. http://www.facebook.com/TheExchangeCresco?ref=ts&fref=ts