A Review of Our Life in Gatlinburg: The 15th Month
A bear encounter, pretty pictures, personal growth, new beginnings, and fresh memories are recalled from our October 2024 life in Gatlinburg.
For the first time, we are about to experience our second full fall season in Gatlinburg. That meant I could actually compare and contrast observations from the 2023 version to the 2024. I’ll get into that in a little bit. Overall, it was a month (October) that saw some progression in my personal life and status as a resident. While to most people’s standards, it may seem relatively small, but anything that represents peeking out of my shell can be considered “progress.” As I go along, I will explain why this is so, and pinpoint some other notable days in our life that happened this month. Let’s take a look back.
The first week of October saw an inordinate amount of unwarranted hate toward my Facebook Page. The end of September was fraught with horrific flooding that wiped out mountain communities to our east, which brought out the best and worst in human behavior. Personally, the vitriol toward me was hurtful—not going to lie. I was forced to defend myself from ignorance near and far. How dare I try to spread positivity during this time! Also, were the threats that I wasn’t showing how Gatlinburg really looked like, yet they were the ones taken by all the viral, fake depictions of flooding here. It really tested my patience and threw me into a bit of a tailspin amidst all the terrible news. I wanted to check out… from social media altogether.
The combination of attacks and constant barrage of negative images were an awful strain, but in time, it reminded me of when I was at my lowest points in Ohio. While it was brief, looking at and posting our vacation pics was a light in my day, and I wanted to provide that for people who were bombarded by the images of Western North Carolina. I wanted to show people that we were, in fact, open for business, and maybe, just maybe lift some spirits when it seemed all was lost and hopeless.