Yesterday afternoon, while on the way home from the office I listened to an interesting piece of commentary on the radio. The speaker, an author living in New York City, was relating his experiences regarding his attempts at finding parking spaces in various cities around our nation. I, and no doubt many of his listeners, could relate to what he was saying--It is very difficult in some major cities to find a parking space. And there are sometimes different local street parking "customs," and there is the thrill of finding the perfect parking spot, and there is the agony of having to drive around the block in search of one.

Here in Vermont, we have only one real "city," and that would be Burlington, a wonderful place that sits on a hill on the shore of Lake Champlain. But by comparison to other places, with a population of around 47,000 people, it really isn’t a city at all. But we Vermonters will often remark about how hard it is to find a parking spot there. My office is a mile and a half from the City’s downtown, so I am there all the time. Anyway, most of the time there is parking close to where you want it to be, but sometimes, one is required to circle the block once or twice in order to obtain it.

I guess that in some ways, after going to school here, and then returning later to put down some roots, I have gone "native." Even though I don’t get out as much as I did prior to the birth of my daughter, I still do some travelling. And on more than one occasion I have had the experience of searching for a parking spot in a large city. Yet I still catch myself complaining about the Burlington parking situation. After listening to that commentary I realize that if folks who live in some of the other cities heard me speaking that way, they would laugh in my face.

Maybe there is a Vermont influence at work. Time does move differently here. It is another way of doing business. Therefore, it is plain shocking to drive somewhere and be hassled over something that is as taken-for-granted as parking your car. Yes, the commentator from New York, who said he once circled the block for almost an hour, going crazy in a motorized holding pattern, would laugh at us.

I suppose that that is okay. For we deserve the laugher, and so long as it is not mean spirited, we don’t mind if folks poke fun at our lifestyle—many of those same folks visit our state regularly. And the money that they spend here, while enjoying the Vermont experience helps to keep our taxes down. But seriously, I suppose that I have gone native, but what makes me really smile is watching my daughter grow up here. As I write, she is sitting on the floor in the living room, quietly playing in the sunbeam that is washing through the picture window. Outside the sun is shining. Our neighbors have started boiling sap for maple syrup and life is good. Even though, I am sure that there is still some winter left in store, it feels like an early spring day.

Yes, it seems to me that life does move more slowly here, and most folks will not be rushed. You know, since the 911 tragedy, the state of Vermont has achieved an interesting distinction. According to Allied Van Lines, a moving company that evidently keeps records on such things as "in-migration trends," Vermont has recently become the leading state. And this is not a per capita statistical expression, but represents raw numbers. The amount of people that must have moved into our little state in the last six months in order to achieve that distinction is amazing.

So welcome, new comers, and be prepared to reset your clocks and to experience polite living and natural beauty. Vermont is a curious place. One can pass legally on a double line, and, throughout the vast majority of the state possess a handgun without a permit, yet we have the lowest crime and accident rates in the country. Roadside billboard advertising is prohibited, and up until the 1960s there were actually more cows here than people. You can tell a native Vermonter by her accent and politeness. He is self reliant and helpful, and in some cases might look rough around the edges, but will stop to help you change your flat tire.

So new comer, be prepared to be influenced by these changes. Be ready to mellow some, to get rough around the edges, relatively speaking. If you spend enough time here, you might even start feeling as if you’ve lost your "edge." But gentle reader, maybe that is not always such a terrible thing. Perhaps Vermont is the perfect parking spot.