Dear Polly,
I’ve been struggling with something lately, and maybe I’m not the only one.
Seems like every time I ride through town, something else has changed. Another field’s getting cleared off, more houses are going up, and traffic on Main Street doesn’t even feel like Woodruff half the time anymore.
People keep saying how good it is that Woodruff’s growing, and I guess they’re right. New businesses are coming in, people are moving here, and there’s more going on than there used to be. I know that’s supposed to be a blessing.
But truthfully? I miss the old Woodruff.
I miss when you could walk into Bi-Lo back in the day and know half the people in there. I miss country roads staying country roads. I miss when Friday nights felt slower and folks weren’t always in such a hurry to get somewhere.
Now it feels like every empty piece of land somebody’s family owned for years is turning into another neighborhood with fancy signs out front and houses packed right on top of each other. Some of the old buildings are gone, and it’s hard not to feel like little pieces of home are disappearing with them.
I don’t want people thinking I’m against growth, because I’m not. I know younger families need homes, and I know businesses help the town. I guess I just wonder if anybody else misses what Woodruff used to feel like before everything started changing so fast.
Am I wrong for feeling that way?
— Feeling Left Behind
Dear Feeling Left Behind,
You’re not wrong for missing the old Woodruff. Most people miss the version of town they grew up in, mainly because we were younger, our people were still here, and gas was under two dollars.
But towns change. They always have.
The funny thing is, many of the people most upset about growth are the same ones who spent years wishing Woodruff had more restaurants, better shopping, and nicer roads. Well, progress finally showed up, and progress rarely arrives quietly.
That doesn’t mean you have to love every new subdivision or clap every time another field disappears. Some change really is hard. Especially when it touches places tied to memory.
But the soul of a town was never its empty land or old storefronts alone. It’s the people who still wave at strangers, carry meals to neighbors, and ask about your mama in the grocery store.
If we lose that, the problem won’t be newcomers.
It’ll be us.
— Polly
Disclaimer
Polly’s Porch submissions may be edited for clarity, grammar, length, and style. Letters may be published in print, online, and on social media platforms associated with The Woodruff Times. Names may be withheld or changed upon request. Advice and responses published in Polly’s Porch are intended for conversation and entertainment purposes and should not be considered professional legal, medical, or mental health advice. Submission of a letter does not guarantee publication.
