A Recap of Our 8th Month Living in Gatlinburg

As I begin to write this, it is 8 months to the day since we moved to Gatlinburg. Many things have happened; some of them have been memorable firsts. I try to keep it as real as I can with my life as a local here, but it’s difficult to find too many complaints with living in a tourist town. I’ve touched on a series of reasons why it works for us, and why it may not be someone else’s best choice, despite your feelings when you’re here on vacation. Anyway, while it hasn’t been perfect, it sure has been the right choice for us. Without further ado, here’s a recap of what transpired last month.

I’ve made it abundantly clear in previous articles that I’m not a guy who loves to party and associate with large groups of people. I’m a natural introvert; genetics are strong with this one. I followed in my father’s footsteps as I was voted shyest in my senior class in high school. I over-analyze every single encounter I have with people on a scale of how awkward it is. That will never change no matter how much I try to bury those thoughts.

I say this because there are chance meetings I dread if someone says they’ll be in town and want to meet me. It’s odd, but I think most of them just want to pick my brain a little. Again, I’m nobody important, even as I have over 120,000 Facebook followers. I’m just doing what I love, and that’s posting Gatlinburg pictures daily for around five years. It’s crazy to think I did it for years without even living here. The visits (and the pictures) added up; I was happy to share them. It gave me a sense of joy when I had very little to give. It was fleeting, though. I guess you could say I was destined to do this, despite my doubts whether I would live to see the day.