By Michael Shaw II

One of the greatest things I have enjoyed during my time in Taos has been the medley of personalities of those who live here. On a daily basis I never know who I will encounter while shopping for groceries, working in the service industry, or hitchhiking to my broken down “Taos car.” Whether a fifth-generation true Taoseño, or a just-arrived refugee from a despotic republic; a former rock star from England, or someone that just bussed in from Wisconsin to learn about Earthships, all fit easily within the Taos’ profile and are not the least bit of a surprise.

The one trait that all of these people seem to share is their happiness at being here. As it is often said, and I admittedly paraphrase, Taos either loves and embraces and keeps you here, or it chews you up and spits you out. I believe these words could not be truer, and the town, community, or the Mountain, as some claim, constantly manifests this premise.

Examples of this are the people that end up in Taos by misfortune. How many people do we know that ended up here traveling through and were struck ill? Or their car broke down and they never got to leave? Or showed up in town with only the clothes on their backs? And yet, those that remain have thrived!
The counterparts are those people we all know, here from some big city, cosmopolitan lifestyle, thinking they will take the “small pond” by storm. I have never lived anywhere where the adage, “If you can make it there (New York), you’ll make it anywhere” has proven less true. I have known incredibly impressive people straight from the Big Apple that have basically fled after six months with their tails between their legs. And there is no known explanation. There are simply people that “fit” here and can live by our rather loose but peculiarly practical principles, and those that cannot.

What this creates is, again, a populace of true, sincere, happy people. Basically, if you are here, you are meant to be here, and it shows in your attitude. Even if someone has come here to be in solitude, that is much more possible here than most other places. And this makes these people even more pleasant when it is necessary to come to town. This place allows and embraces these differences like nowhere on earth.

So whether I am playing pool with an acclaimed architect, standing behind a movie star at the coffee shop, or bussing dirty dishes to an oft-published dishwasher, there is always a certain smile, a nod, a glance — a bond. We are happy to be here. We are happy to welcome newcomers, and hope that they belong and feel that joy. We simply KNOW that Taos is OUR place. And that we are TAOS’ people. There is nothing Taos can do about it and nothing we can do about it, but it IS true. To me, that is sacred.

Michael Shaw II is a transplanted Hoosier from Indiana who moved to Taos in 1990. He says he is Taos’ pre-eminent “chirotender” — opening Shaw Chiropractic while tending bar at the Alley Cantina and Sabroso.