We’ve all heard it, seen it and possibly been victimized by it in our lifetime – the “foul mouth.”

Yes, the classic case of the “foul mouth;” a grotesque and apathetic sense of being that serves as a verbal (and mental) representation of home for some Falmouth, Kentucky residents. To one surfing the web, looking to Wiki the small settlement would see that it is “best remembered for natural disasters that have devastated the town over the last half of the 20th Century.” To the viewer watching the local news stations one may hear of massive drug round-ups, flood level updates or frequent winter school cancellations. To the social media or Topix enthusiast reading comments and statues from local residents, the town is lacking a business climate, overflowing with “meth mouth addicts” and a “black hole for dreams.” It’s a cancer of thought, a contagious sense of being and it poses a threat to the future of home for many.

I’ve fallen victim to it’s magnetic approach to kill positive images of home. We all have at one point in time; it’s easy to be negative.

In 2010 when I left the nest to begin my educational path, I wondered how my “foul mouth” would impact my future decisions. How would I survive college when many in my class felt unprepared by their education at the only educational institution in our county – Pendleton County Schools? How would I mesh with others who didn’t grow up in a town of just over 2,000 residents? How would I stay with my amazing girlfriend who is from this same small-minded town? Answer(s): I went to EKU, so nothing changed. KIDDING! Go Colonels! In reality, I was prepared for college, and I excelled. I meshed, and I expanded my network of small town roots. I maintained my relationship, and it grew into something greater. As my dad has always preached, “you get out of it what you put into it.”

Upon graduation in 2013 we bought our dream house – in Falmouth… Those with a “foul mouth” thought we were crazy, and they still question such a decision. A year into the effect of this decision, I’m liking it, but not loving it. I am angered daily by the apathy, the weakness and carelessness of residents who have fallen victim to this cancer of their being: the “foul mouth.”

Each and every day I put forth my damnedest passion to find a cure, in a literal sense, through my amazing job with the American Cancer Society. I love it. I am working alongside passionate people and volunteers who have been affected and want to make a change. That’s why I love it – we’re moving forward as one for a common cause.

My time “back” in Falmouth is a like, but not a love. It wasn’t until I returned home that I realized WHY the small town has such barriers. There is no overriding quest for advancement, or at least in a formal sense. Change is hard, and it takes work. It takes time, it takes brainstorming, and it takes people who care. As a teacher’s spawn, I saw that my mom’s greatest excitement came from those students whose potential she recognized, encouraged and then fostered to fruition.

I write this for myriad reasons. Call it a public plea, a call to – at least some – action or an ask of attitude change. Call it a request of your personal talents to be utilized for the greater good of your home. Call it an outlet for Alex to rant about wanting his hometown to be more. It’s all of those things and then some.

Are you ill with a case of the “foul mouth?” Think about your portrayal of home. We have amazing things, beautiful places, points of much pride, wonderful childhoods, great people and most importantly – the potential to be more. You don’t have to be a political leader to make things happen.

Are you immune to the “foul mouth” or wanting to find a cure? I know you’re out there. I know you want change and see the potential within. Let’s do this.

“We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape us.”
-Winston Churchill