Tennessee's Jellico: Recollections and Faith

The streets in Jellico's downtown district were peaceful and motionless as I sat there. The only sound was made by the passing geese overhead since it was so silent. They may be heard across the town every morning if you pay close attention. This sound is soothing to me. I'm reminded that I'm at home by it. I just sat there in my vehicle, the window cracked slightly. An unexplained calm was brought on by the quiet morning air, my companions soaring overhead, and the cold early wind. a sensation that is impossible to experience in a large metropolis.

It took me over thirty minutes to see a single passing automobile. I started to see a few random pedestrians crossing the roadway. Most of the people walking to the nearby grocery shop are older people. I started remembering my earlier, more impressionable years in Jellico. Days that are in the shadows behind me and are long gone yet will never be forgotten.

Every Saturday morning my grandma and I would stroll across the city. All of the shops would be open and bustling with activity, and the streets would be packed. Every structure housed a working establishment. As I survey the row of vacant buildings, I can still name each one of them. For most of us, this was an exciting moment. In Jellico, there was a significant occasion on Saturday. I could almost hear sounds from the past returning to me as I sat there in my automobile.

Taxi taxis lined up on the corner, ready to transport passengers to and from. On the street, where people conduct their weekly trade and business, you would run into everyone you knew. People came to a standstill and started conversing. The streets were crowded with laughter and shouts. No matter the weather, people were out happy wandering the sidewalks, joking about, and acting like a true community. What took place?

Our streets are now hushed and motionless. Nobody is still acting as a community today. When we do find ourselves out and about, we prefer to keep our distance from one another. What's worse is that as we traverse the streets in the morning, we find ourselves scrutinizing everybody we might meet outdoors. We simply move quickly while keeping an eye on the ground or straight ahead in the hopes that no one will choose to engage us in conversation.

Unfortunately, some of us have become increasingly mute as a result of the quiet streets. After rushing through our day, we hurriedly opened social media at home to discuss the good and bad. However, the environment around us progressively withers and dies when we cease personally communicating the good news.

In the society we presently inhabit, this is now considered to be human nature. The fact that times have changed and will continue to change is a sad reality. We are no longer able to enjoy a morning stroll through the town while breathing in the crisp air. Face masks are required in its place. We must stand 6 feet apart from one another, thus it is not advisable to stop to say "hi" to a neighbor. Asking a complete stranger about their day might cause paranoia and terror to take over a person. The times have unquestionably changed, and our sheltered and innocent community of Jellico has now succumbed to them.

Oh, how I treasure my recollections of the past, but I also cling to my faith in the future. Faith and memories are what give the soul its optimism. Never lose faith in a brighter tomorrow. Never give up on the neighbor you hardly see or the stranger you see going down the street. We are powerful. We are tenacious. The Jellico Mountain Community is who we are.