Rachel, KS

Simpler times. This is a fictional town emanating from The Andy Griffith Show, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and a few other plots. It is described as the "homeplate of wheat and democracy." This is a small town from the middle of the twentieth century that embodies the ideals of Midwestern life, albeit shown in a comical fashion, not unlike River City, Iowa.

This is something my friends and I used to describe as our ideal fantasy town, where we all could live and perform an essential civic function, according to our talents and degrees. The idea of moving away after college and finding our lives separate from one another, while inevitable, is sort of depressing, and this way we could have some kind of hope in our minds.

I was reminded of this glorious Shangri-la whilst reunited recently with a group of friends for the wedding of one of our own. Someone older and wiser remarked during the proceedings that weddings and funerals tend to bring people together like no other time. They are such major life events, that people are moved to travel long distances and be together. It was such a joy to see Mark off into wedded bliss. It was made much sweeter to do so with many of our cadre enjoying each other's company like the days of yore.

This is why Rachel, Kansas is so popular with my day dreams. It boils down society into such a small, circumferenced idea, where we all can be together with an important role to play. Unfortunately, this only exists in plays and stories. Real life is uncompromising.

While we all sometimes live and work far from such good friends and family whom we bonded with during earlier times, it is nice to know that time doesn't diminish our care for one another. Conversations that were interrupted by months or years are picked up with the casual ease as if it was only a few hours absence. This is where humanity's seasoned veterans can say that life leads us all in unexpected directions, and that we should enjoy each stage in which we find ourselves. However, for my part, I won't forget Rachel, Kansas and the measure of its appeal.