Last Friday night I finally found the time to go downtown and
listen to a Pan American Serenade by Candace Fazzio
&
amp; Friends, part of Gilroy’s summer concert series.
Last Friday night I finally found the time to go downtown and listen to a Pan American Serenade by Candace Fazzio & Friends, part of Gilroy’s summer concert series.
To my surprise, I discovered it wasn’t so much the music (although it was great) that turned out to be the most important aspect of the evening.
No, what I discovered, or maybe I should say, rediscovered, is why I love living in Gilroy.
You know, when I came here, I wasn’t thrilled. I left the big city behind for a town that didn’t even have a movie theater or a decent book store.
My old neighborhood had three different bookstores located on just one corner. The first few months, I kept saying to myself, “My life is over – what have I done?”
I missed my favorite Thai and Indian restaurants. “I can’t live on pizza and Mexican food,” I moaned into my guacamole.
But Gilroy was the perfect location for us: halfway between our friends and relatives, with the plus of a train for my husband’s commute.
I consoled myself with thoughts of how now I could drive to any destination around town in five minutes or less, instead of having to plan my every move around traffic patterns.
Then I began to notice how my neighbors seemed just a little more friendly than I was used to.
At Christmas, they left a miniature Christmas tree on my doorstep. “Hmmm, just what are they up to?” I wondered. I began to meet more people, and as I got to know them, I discovered a city with a small-town feel to it that I had never known.
I found people here had roots; they knew their history, and they were dedicated to the causes they held dear.
It wasn’t like the apartment building I had come from where no one said hello even when we practically tripped over each other on the stairs.
I discovered the small town joys of running into someone you know at the grocery store, legal fireworks, Independence Day parades, and working together as volunteers for charitable events. People were positive and encouraging and gave me a whole new outlook on the world.
They gave me opportunities to participate at the grassroots level in all types of causes and showed me the ways one person can still make a difference.
That’s why going to hear one of the concerts of the Fifth Street Live Series was so reassuring last Friday.
It was strictly BYOC (bring your own chair), and about 100 people were just relaxing together, enjoying the free music.
The news about it is that there is no news – it was all about the simple pleasures of life, the moments that you can’t measure in any way.
A teenager eating pizza from Happy Dog, or an older couple chatting and holding hands. A boy brought his dog named Elvis, who listened to the music as well.
Now sometimes I worry that Gilroy is changing too fast with all the new homes being built and all the new additions to our outlet shopping Mecca.
But last Friday as I sat in the middle of the street in a folding chair listening to live music with my neighbors, I felt as if time had stood still, and I was still living the American dream.
