The Montana Factor

This morning on the Today show, there was a wonderful story about the small town of Phillipsburg Montana. It was a feel good piece about how the town came together to help the school administrator and his daughter when they both had cancer. The scenery, of course, made me homesick, but the story made me proud.

There is something to be said for growing up in a state with less than 800,000 people in it. There is a feeling of being secure in such a huge, isolated place because you know, if needed, help is always available. Example. It was 1992 and I was driving between Missoula MT and Bozeman MT on my way to visit my sister. As many Montanans do, I ignored the weather and left is a "small snow storm" at about 5pm after work. Well I got half way there (aka Butte MT) and I was fully engulfed in good old Montana blizzard. Just the other side of Butte, because of course I kept going, I ran across a group of people whose car had gone off the road. I stopped to help. Yes, me, a 20 yr old girl completely alone, stopped to help 3 young men who were in trouble. They had wrecked and needed to get to Bozeman. A few minutes later, a gentleman in a truck also stopped. He said he would be headed to Bozeman in a few days and would bring all their stuff to them (the car was full because one of the boys was moving). They hopped in my car and off we went. It took us almost 3 hours to get from Butte to Bozeman which is only 84 miles. Two days later, the stuff from the car was delivered to my sisters house since that was the only address we could give the nice man who offered to help.

The moral of the story is this. In todays world, would I ever let my daughter stop, all alone, and help three men who were stranded on the side of the road? No. Would I trust a complete stranger to deliver all my worldly goods to me "in a few days". No. However in Montana, this isn't an uncommon experience. There, everyone feels like family and most feel completely trustworthy. I admit, I haven't lived there in a very long time. Things could definitely have changed, but from the story on the Today show today, it doesn't have seemed to. I don't know why there is such a strong sense of help and kindness resides in the 4th largest state. I'm sure it is alive and well in many parts of the country. Maybe it is in every small town in America. I hope so.

I'm a city girl. I've know it since I was very young. I love being in the hustle, bustle and fun that is a city. Country life was never in the cards for me. However, I will forever appreciate the "Montana Factor" with which I was raised. I always assume the best in people. Has it ever bitten me in the ass, of course, but I hope to never loose it. I'm not trying to be sappy, I swear. I'm just glad that 15 years of living in "the city" hasn't changed that small part of me.

Good for you, Phillipsburg. You made me remember, once again, why I'm proud to be from Montana.