Always glad you came

“Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came…” Those are, as you probably know, the lyrics to the Cheers theme song. We’ll come back to them here shortly.

I get to do one of these opinion columns roughly once a month and I usually don’t know what I am going to write about until I sit down to do it. It’s a more laid back opportunity to write about whatever strikes our fancy here in the newsroom. On this particular occasion, I am writing from the kitchen of my partner’s new place in Bentonville. It is early Friday morning and the other folx in the house are still asleep.

This is my first visit to my partner’s new place; he is all paid up for a six month lease in this townhouse. It’s fun to see him get to decorate, bring out old stuff and new stuff to adorn the blank space, to make it a cozy home for himself and his daughter.

I spend a lot of time over here in Northwest Arkansas. I have a good community of loved ones here and always look forward to spending time with them. Having a place where you can be yourself and feel welcomed is important, especially this time of year.

For Thanksgiving this year, I attended a Friendsgiving party in Bentonville. There was plenty of food and fun conversation; I ended my night there around 3 a.m., shouting the lyrics to Bright Eyes songs into a karaoke microphone with my fellow millennials. I headed back to Harrison to cover Black Friday shopping in the wee hours of the morning - running on Starbucks Double Shots and good vibes only, sleep had to wait.

Even though it made for an extraordinarily exhausting 24 hours, I felt grateful that I had the ability to go spend time with my chosen family for the holiday. It isn’t always easy for folx to get that opportunity. The drive is too much for a lot of people, but for me it’s worth it to drive four hours round trip just to spend a couple of hours hanging out.

When I was a kid, living in Oklahoma City, I’d constantly ask my dad if we could go visit my much older brother - Leroy. My request would often be shot down because Leroy lived all the way on the other side of town. I figured as long as someone lived in the same town, that was not too far. I was a little kid with very little grasp of time and distance (and fuel pricing.) Leroy has since passed away rather young and tragically; I would drive across one hundred cities to see him again if I could.

“Hey, Lottie, this is an opinion column. What’s the opinion?” said the hypothetical reader in my head. Okay, well first off thanks for reading, and secondly, my opinion is that we need to see each other more. With the ease of “keeping in touch” online, I worry that a lot of connections get stifled.

Now, to make this opinion column feel more “opinion column-y” I am going to return to that pop culture reference which is intended to make whatever I ramble on about here relatable to people. Do you have a place to go “where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came?” If so, make time to go there this holiday season. Hug your brothers and your friends. Share a laugh or get into a heated political argument with your obnoxious cousin, live a little.

My opinion is that in a season known for increases in depression, suicide, isolation and loneliness; we should all put forth some effort into showing up on each others doorsteps. If you’re on the fence about buying a plane ticket or taking vacation time off to go see someone, just go do it. Go be where your troubles are all the same and everybody knows your name.

In other news, I’d like to congratulate my favorite “co-worker,” who shall remain anonymous, on winning $20 from me this week. I thought I was sure to win by betting with confidence on our local government but I was naive and we still don’t have the police log back. Apparently the strings that pull the strings that pull the strings don't have it ready yet. The wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, probably all tangled up in the strings.