The Heart of a Small Town

There was a show I was absolutely obsessed with throughout my college years. Like…comfort show. Safe space. Background noise while doing homework. Rewatch it six times and still laugh at the same jokes kind of obsessed.

That show was none other than Hart of Dixie.

It followed Zoe Hart, a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon fresh out of residency who didn’t land her dream job at one of the top hospitals in the country. Why? Because while she could fix hearts… she didn’t exactly have one when it came to bedside manner.

The irony.

Instead, she’s offered a position as a family doctor in the tiny town of Bluebell, Alabama; population small, drama high, community tight-knit. And listen…somewhere between season two and my sixth rewatch, I got the wild idea to pray and ask God to let me live in a small town one day.

And I mean small-small.

One high school.

One lawyer.

One dentist.

Everybody knows everybody.

You can’t sneeze without someone saying “Bless you” from across town.

That fictional town represented a sense of community I deeply craved at the time. And when Christians tell you God doesn’t forget the details of your prayers?

BELIEVE THEM!

Because almost ten years later… He answered mine.

If you’ve read my About Me page, you know I work as a healthcare traveler. Assignments usually last about 13 weeks. Well…this one? Turned into nine months.

I drove from Arizona to Wisconsin not knowing what to expect, just knowing I was ready. I accepted a position at Marshfield Medical Center in Marshfield, Wisconsin. The population was around 20,000.

And yes, the town is small.

But the people’s hearts? Massive.

Let me explain.

Spring

When I first arrived in mid-April, I’m not even going to lie, I was skeptical. The trees were bare. The fields looked empty. The sky was gray in a way that felt personal. They’d just come out of winter, so everything looked… asleep.

But I’m a nomad at heart. I believe every place has its charm. You just have to give it time to introduce itself.

The nights were DARK-dark. My first Airbnb was 40 minutes away with zero street lights. I had to watch for deer on my commute. There were tornado sirens every Wednesday. Thunderstorms every other day. It was chaos in the most Midwest way possible.

And somehow… I started to love it.

The town had a few local businesses, bars, Walmart, Target, some incredible Mexican restaurants, and two Kwik Trips.

Let me pause here.

Kwik Trip? Elite. Iconic. Not your average gas station. I will forever stan their chicken strips, fried four-cheese ravioli, and old-fashioned donuts. Any time I needed something quick, I knew exactly where to go.

First order of business when I settled in? Find a gym. 

I joined one in a small plaza called Lift Gym, but the real gem was the nutrition shop next door: Hub City, owned by Charlotte.

I eat low-carb most of the time, and this woman had everything. Sugar-free coffee, protein donuts, smoothies, protein balls… you name it. But it wasn’t the menu that kept me coming back. It was Charlotte. She asked about my day. She’d randomly throw in something “on the house.” She let me use her body scan machine for the free.99. She cheered me on in my health goals. It felt like walking into a friend’s space, not a store.

And as a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, I always search for the best local spots. I faithfully rotated between Cattails Coffee (aka Cat’s Meow in my head) and Daily Grinder. I went so often that the baristas knew my name and my order. I could tell who made my latte just by tasting it. Coffee is my love language. And nothing feels more special than not having to say your order out loud.

Lindsay, Allie, and the barista whose name I’m blanking on right now,  if you ever read this, just know you made some of the best lattes of my life.

Work at the medical center quickly turned into family. My coworkers were determined to make sure I experienced everything Marshfield had to offer. That’s how I ended up at Breezy’s cabin on the lake. She casually mentioned she could see the northern lights from there. And I said… say less. The first time I went, we walked a trail nearby,  and when I tell you I have never seen so much wildlife in my life? Snakes. So many snakes. Baby snakes, big snakes,  it did not matter. I was alert. I also saw the biggest bird’s nest I’ve ever seen, housing what felt like hundreds of birds.

After our adventure, her husband Adam cooked a meal so good I almost needed a nap immediately after. He’s family now. Cousin. Period. We stayed up late hoping to catch the northern lights and watched one of the prettiest sunsets I’ve ever seen. 

Summer

The summers are what Wisconson are made for! Festivals and concerts all season.

Speaking of bucket list moments, I rode in a tethered hot air balloon during the Dairyland Balloon Jubilee. I already vlogged it (go watch it on my YouTube channel 👀), but just know it was one of those “Is this real life?” moments.

Then one summer day, on the way to brunch with Breezy and my coworker Willow, who chases storms like she’s in a movie…yes the tornado kind of storms, we drove past Rib Mountain. Breezy, being the spontaneous queen she is, said, “We should hike that.” Mind you… I had makeup on. But adventure always wins. The views at the top? Worth every step.

Fall

And when fall arrived in Marshfield…

I have never known beauty like that. Wildflowers. Colors exploding everywhere. I screamed at every turn. It felt like God was showing off.

Now let’s talk about the one thing that eluded me: the northern lights.

I tried. I downloaded apps. I stalked trackers. I stayed up late. I drove back to the cabin. I bundled up in freezing temperatures. They were out… but I couldn’t see them with my naked eye. My phone caught them though.

Rude.

And one of my funniest memories? Inserts Mario famous quote “Here we go!”

Now if a friend invites you out to a concert to go out dancing, you’re probably thinking, get dressed up, put on a little makeup because it’s a girls night out, right? Same thing I thought. 

So that’s exactly what I did, and when I pulled up the ladies were in jeans and flannels. I’m like okay, no worries, I can still get jiggy with it lol. We head out to the other side of town and arrive at a school. All I see are kids outside playing. I turned to Breezy, like I know we are not getting out here.

And yup…we got out.

As we walk up I see that it’s a catholic middle/high school and the concert was being held inside of the school's gymnasium. 😂.

There was a bar stand set up on one side of the gym, and gift baskets on the opposite side for raffles. And yes there are kids still running around lol. The concert was a cover band.

And honestly? It was such a wholesome, Midwest-core experience.

Winter

Then came winter.

The polar vortex hit and temperatures dropped to -24°F. You could literally see the cold in the air. My car wouldn’t start. I was stressed.

And that’s when Jackie, who happened to be one of my favorite people to work with at the time, and her husband showed up. 

They helped charge my car, drove me around to run errands, took me out to eat, and made me dinner. That’s what I mean about the hearts of these people. They didn’t have to do that. But they did.

And that’s when it hit me, this wasn’t just a travel assignment. This was an answered prayer.

Unlike Arizona, I didn’t wrestle God about the next step. I trusted Him. I stayed for nine months. And it felt like an entire year of growth, friendship, and grace.

Marshfield may not have been Bluebell, Alabama…

But it was my small town.

And I will never forget it.

Be Blessed,

Z 💞