Today’s blog is going to be a departure from our normal routine. In this installment, I’m going to share briefly what Monterey, TN means to me!
I won’t be sharing a “tourism” blog today. Instead, I’ll be handing over echoes of a life spent in Monterey, TN. From dusty evenings spent on Tee-Ball and Little League fields, to hot Saturday mornings on a stage with my guitar hand in hand, Monterey shaped me.
The conversations, the life lessons, the failures, the deaths, the births, the marriages, the divorces, the history, all of it, made me who I am today.
I learned how to be funny at the Convenience Mart.
I developed a work ethic at Monterey Foods.
I forged relationships across all ages at The Bradley Agency.
I experienced heartache when no one attended my shows and euphoria as the years passed and the audiences grew. (Bill Wiggins refused to stop paying me to play, even when he lost money doing so – I’ll never forget that)
I saw Bimbo walk the streets with the stride of a gazelle, uncaring of what we all
thought about him – maybe he knew more than us anyway.
I chuckled as Garland Earley would bring in YET ANOTHER trick or puzzle, smiling and giggling as he walked through the door.
I marveled at the way Keith and Tammy Phillips loved hurting families in our community – I can’t imagine the weight of all that grief.
I saw Danny Todd quietly give money to people in need, no fanfare, all humanity.
I witnessed “good people” be bad and “bad people” be good.
I cried, I laughed, I mourned, and I celebrated.
I became a man in this town.
Is it a metropolis? No.
Is it special? Absolutely.
For as long as I can remember, Monterey has held my heart; it always will.
