...to talk about how much I love the Midwest. Right now, please humor me and attempt to count how many times you've heard someone crack a lame joke about how boring it is to drive across Kansas or about how flat Nebraska is. Yeah, uh-huh. That's what I thought. You can't. So little time for so great a task.
Now, I have nothing against those folks who have a true aversion to road-tripping between alternating wheat and corn fields. I harbor no hard feelings for those who can't fathom spending a night in a quiet little town where "there is nothing to do." (By the way, how do people suddenly lose their capacity to just enjoy people or find creative things to do when they're in a small town?).
But, I just decided after spending last week gallivanting across Nebraska and Kansas that it was time to declare my unabashed affection for those cozy states. Here's a shout out to all who hail from those lands of awesomeness! I can't get enough of the old farmhouses and gentle hills and gnarly trees that dot the landscape. I find joy in stopping at little gas stations like Casey's where the old folks and those with a few spare minutes stop to share the latest gossip.
On my way home from a wedding in Kansas, I drove by my Grandpa's hometown of Woodston, KS. To any passersby, it's a sleepy, nearly-evacuated ghost town whose busy days were back in the early 20th century. I couldn't resist taking a quick spin through the deserted streets to pretend it was not 2010 but 1940. I tried to picture my Grandpa as a kid running through the streets with his siblings and friends, flying past the old church he attended and bumping into older folks heading into the bank or post office.
Most of the buildings are now worn out with signs faded and doors boarded up. Yet, as I rambled by, they seemed frozen in time, ready to suddenly spring back to life if I just wished for it enough. As I drove up a street on the edge of town, I gazed toward the distant hills where my Grandpa's parents had farmed. The farmhouse was long gone, but I was delighted to think that I was seeing the same landscape that my great-grandparents peered at day after day. How whimsical and wonderful that little town is to me!
Perhaps experiences like this are why I love the Midwest so much. Perhaps it's because I know so many great people from the Midwest. Perhaps it's because of how much of the old is still visible in those parts. I think it feeds my imagination and love of history.
The bottom line is that I'm not exactly sure why, but I have quite an affinity for the Midwest and I just thought you should know.
No comments:
Post a Comment