“The Fine Print”, by M.H. Schrader

We Should Appreciate What We Have

(Published 22 January 1997 in the Neighborhood Journal. Posted in toto with Preface and Post Script 13 June 2002.)

PREFACE-- When I moved to Little Rock from Farmington, I thought I was moving into the big city. Compared to Farmington, population 10000, Little Rock is a big city! Compared to other cities, however, it is not. It took a trip to Washington for me to regain my perspective of what is big and what is small, and to appreciate the value in smallness.

To most Arkansans, Little Rock is the “big city.” After all, it is, by far, the biggest city in the state. It is, for example, the only city in the state with a population greater than 100,000. Throw in North Little Rock and the rest of Pulaski County, and you’re talking about a population in excess of 300,000. Compared to other cities in the state, Little Rock is huge; compared to other cities nationwide, it is rather small.

I have come to this conclusion based on the five days I spent last week in our nation’s capital. I have been to Washington before; what made this trip different is that this is the first time I flew into D.C. One gets a completely different perspective of a place from the air.

Flying into Adams Field, for instance, one can easily identify each respective city; they do not all blend into each other. Why? Open space between towns. I could easily identify Vilonia, Conway, Mayflower, Maumelle, North Little Rock, and Little Rock. However, flying into both St. Louis and Washington, I could not. Both cities seem to stretch for a hundred miles, swallowing entire counties; the urban area seems endless. Individual cities are unidentifiable, having been consumed by the urbanization; they are now just a small part of a very large whole. Who can tell where D.C. ends and Maryland begins? Who can tell from the air that Lambert Airport is not really in St. Louis but actually in Bridgeton?

Some Central Arkansans complain about how bad traffic is, how bad the congestion on 67 is for about fifteen minutes in the morning and afternoon. Washington and St. Louis wish they had it so good. It is a common occurrence in St. Louis to see 8 and 10 lane freeways come to a grinding halt for several hours in the morning and afternoon. Washington’s streets are busy practically 24 hours a day.

They say that absence makes the heart grows fonder. I know that since I have returned from my odyssey, I can appreciate what we have in Arkansas a whole lot more. Little Rock now seems small to me. And that’s quite fine, thank you very much. I will now think twice before complaining about some of the things (much to Mrs. Schrader’s annoyance) I like to complain about.

Take food prices, for instance. I would find it to be outrageous to go out to eat in Little Rock and have of bill in excess of $25 for the five of us (of course, the baby doesn’t really count, since she is still eating baby food). I would grumble and complain about how expensive it is. I found myself spending close to that just to feed myself in Washington. The breakfast buffet at the hotel where I stayed was $16 after tax and tip. I didn’t even attempt to eat dinner there.

They don’t have a Rally’s or Sonic in Washington (at least, I have never seen any, and this is now my fourth time visiting), so even the cheapest lunch is over $5. The prices at Lambert in St. Louis aren’t any better. I had to switch planes in St. Louis, and a hot dog, you know the kind you can buy at the store for a buck for a package of 8, cost me $5.

I didn’t realize how spoiled I had become living in Arkansas until I bought a cup of coffee. Here, you can get a decent cup for under a dollar; in D.C., a minimum of a buck fifty, and in some cases two dollars. For two dollars, I expect Juan Valdez himself to be serving that coffee.

Want a beer? Four and a quarter. Yes, that is about what it costs at the local convenience store in Arkansas. For a six-pack. In D.C., that price is for one. And don’t think about walking down to 7-11 to buy a six pack. They don’t sell it. If I were an alcoholic (which I am not), I would strongly consider moving to D.C. to help break my habit. I don’t know about you, but I just cannot justify spending four-and-a-half for a beer, not when money is scarce and I could spend it on much more important things like food or medicine.

For a visitor, there are basically two ways to get around Washington: the subway and taxi. (Trying to drive in D.C. is a sure fire method to lose your sanity.) The subways are very nice and very safe; however, the streets above are not. A friend and I got off of the subway in Alexandria to grab a bite to eat; unfortunately, we had to walk a mile and a half through a questionable part of town. We soon discovered that taxis are very expensive: the mile-and-a-half cab ride back to the station cost us $6. Some choice--either be robbed blind on the street or robbed blind by a cabdriver.

Needless to say, I was happy to get back to Arkansas. I didn’t really realize how much my home and family meant to me until I was away from them for five days. It one of those things--you don’t really appreciate what you have until you are away from it. Except it shouldn’t take being away from something to appreciate it. However, familiarity breeds contempt, and over time one tends to take things for granted. I know I did.

As a result of this five day separation, I have come to several conclusions. First, that Arkansas is a truly terrific place to live, and I am glad I live here. Second, that I will appreciate what the good Lord has given me, especially my wife and daughters, whom I tend to take for granted from time to time.

And we all should thank the good Lord for what we have, because it could be a whole lot worse. We could all be paying $2 for a cup of coffee.

POST SCRIPT -- With the spread of specialty coffee shops, the $2 cup of coffee seems to be the norm everywhere now...at least there are still places where you can get a free refill!

Since this column was written, the good Lord has blessed me with two sons.

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