It happens every year at one time or another, usually in the deep winter. It's happening now, in the wake of the coldest temperatures around here for five years, in which my car was impossible to start this morning. Hell, it was just barely possible to open the car doors.
Every year I ask myself the Question.
"Why the #*$%! do I live in this state?"
It's only natural to ask; I mean, sometimes this state just seems downright unfit for human existence. Skin freezes within a few short minutes of exposure. Plants are dormant, or dead. Animals are scarce. Machines do their work to wildly varying degrees of success. Birds fall dead from the trees. (Okay, I made that last one up. I've never seen it happen. But I can believe it could.)
I normally only wonder for a short while though, because it's pretty easy for me to focus on all the reasons I love living in Minnesota. After all, where else can you hang out in a major metropolitan area thriving with music and art, then drive half an hour and lose yourself in a cornfield? Yes, I love this state, from its fantastic hiking and camping spots to that Mecca of Capitalism, the Mall of America. (I mainly enjoy the people-watching. It's a human zoo.) Also, I have many friends and much family here, which means a great deal to me. And it is a great place to raise a family. So yes, it gets very cold, but the tradeoffs are worth it to me.
But still, every year, without fail, I ask the Question.
I suppose it's healthy to do so, because without asking the Question, I would never know if I could answer it.
And as long as I can answer the Question, I know I'm still in the right place.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
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I was pondering the same thing today myself. What I love about the cold weather is the sense of community it creates. The barista at Caribou tells you to stay warm, and honestly means it: she's concerned you might freeze to death. When I see a car in the ditch, I slow down to help, and there's already four other people pulled over to help the driver. Everyone has jumper cables. It's weather like this that restores my faith in humanity.
ReplyDeleteFamily and friends are a huge motivating factor in my staying here. Also, the changing seasons are a huge part of it for me. I love seeing the leaves change in the fall, hearing the cicadas in the dog days of summer, or watching Gwennerpants catch snowflakes whilst bundled up to high heaven. I love that dynamic nature of the state. Aside from that, I think that anywhere I were to go, I could pretty easily find something to complain about. If I lived in the south, I'd complain about the summer heat. If I lived in Nebraska, I'd complain that I lived in a giant void with nothing to see but a weird bridge monument. ;^)
ReplyDeleteI'm right with you, though...cold like this sure makes me question