Rappahannock is home to complex characters worth befriending
Manytimes in commentaries I’ve submitted to the Rappahannock News I have mentioned our Rappahannock County as a beautiful, multifaceted gem. The same description applies to our residents, those known and those we’ve yet to meet.
Years ago (well, truthfully, decades), I worked on props for various plays. Backdrops consisted of facades, one dimensional art renderings, behind which was nothing but the mechanics of production. No substance to support what the front represented. How o en do we apply that same idea of a person from the appearance perceived? No wonder there might be misunderstandings just from a simple explanation of not knowing the whole, truly multifaceted ones we see around the places here, ones we simply haven’t met yet.
An example happened to me, once again, years ago (again, decades) when a lady I’d been working with on some projects in a volunteer organization said, “You know, you’re really a nice person.” I must have looked a bit surprised, because she added, “I used to see you horseback riding on the trails here and you looked kind of stuck up.” I had just learned to ride there and our instructor was adamant about proper posture and correct clothes including safety helmets.
We’ve been lucky to be able to read and learn about some who live here through the “Doer’s Pro le” by Bob Hurley in this, our local newspaper, now in its 145th year, including Aline Johnson, Medge Carter, Joe Kimp en, Rosa Crocker (creator of the huge free mask sewing brigade during our COVID-19 years), Willie Shanks (cool man in charge at Flatwood), and many more, all available at RappNews online.
Their multifaceted lives have positively bene ted lots of us. We are blessed to have these and hundreds more living among us. Now that Spring seems to be creeping slowly in, maybe it’s time to venture out of our Winter sheltering and meet some. A smile and a “Hi” could be the beginning of new friendships. Discover who might be behind a perceived gru or aloof exterior.