Tag: mid-west

Surrounded

Published on by Susi Bocks13 Comments

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It’s gorgeous here in the Summer. You can’t help but feel drawn to the wide-openness of the land. When the sun shines, and I take a walk or drive to the neighboring town, being out in it brings me a sense of freedom. I’ve come to love that feeling. Holding my cup of tea, I enjoy looking at my little slice of heaven through my kitchen window every day. 

This year will mark 18 years living in Small Town, USA. The attractiveness of the land is what has kept me here. I enjoy it. On good days, I always stroll around my neighborhood to get some fresh air and sun. I appreciate the peace of my small town and the smell of the fresh wind. 

The people and their politics, not so much. I get it. Red state, red town. It’s only about 900 people who live here. And if they could stay living in the 1800s, I think they would prefer that.

I won’t lie, intermingling hasn’t gotten any more comfortable in the years since our family landed. The closed-mindedness I experience on an almost daily basis is choking most of my goodwill. The longer I’m a resident, the harder I bite my tongue – most times. Recently, though, I just had to trounce a few ill-conceived thoughts escaping out of the mouths of my neighbors. If only they would have kept them shut. It didn’t end well. I wasn’t what you would call being very neighborly.

I know things, and people change eventually, but in our little town, I think it will be later rather than sooner. I understand that it’s a lot asking them to step out of their comfort zone, or even into a headspace of progressive thinking. Sure wish they would, though. It would make living here almost perfect.

Sometimes kids are out playing in the park. Today there was a group of young boys maybe 14-15 years old out dribbling balls on the basketball court. The very first thought in my head – most likely, this is the next generation of Trump supporters. My happy brain pauses slightly, feeling surrounded by ignorance again. I forcefully shake it off me and intentionally focus on immersing myself in the wind and sun.

Life continues, and I keep walking as far away as I can get.

Open Spaces, Small Minds

Published on by Susi Bocks10 Comments

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Welcome to the majestic openness of the plains! Miles upon miles of precious soils producing bountiful agriculture which feeds the world. It’s truly an American mecca. Impressively grand and yet serene upon observation.

I fell in love with it when I landed here long ago. No one can help being pulled in by it, except maybe diehard city-streets-in-their-bones kinda people. But it didn’t take long for the bright and shiny newness of feeling like home to lose its luster. That distinct Midwest state of mind presented itself harshly and managed to detract from all the good about it. You’ll quickly pick up on the Midwest mindset, it’s predominantly of a conservative bent.

Basically, sweet as pie to your face as long as you vote red and go to church, righteous indignation otherwise.

What our family encountered here in the good ‘ole Bible Belt felt like a bait and switch scheme. “Welcome to the neighborhood,” enjoy the scenery, we’re all family, we have traditional values, and it’s like heaven on earth! How can anyone not appreciate all it has to offer? I guess it was the persistent condemnation of my unlike-mind soon after the move here.

Liberals don’t fare well in this area who are open to challenging and/or discarding traditional values when appropriate. You know, those values of bigotry, racism, homophobia that most unlike-minds understand have no place in a civilized society.

Being liberal is being concerned with broadening knowledge and experience, and realizing that progressive ideas have a place in a modern world.

That is frowned upon here.

The narrow viewpoints of the conservatives are spewed (and applauded) in everyday conversations, public forums, and informal conversations without generally any regard for the insensitivity they project. They slap each other on the back for their original – cough, cough – regurgitated thoughts. So proud of their wit and understanding of things. Shame they don’t even realize how ignorant they sound.  Their alleged values resemble nothing remotely moral. People who aren’t like these middle Americans are critiqued, criticized and humiliated. We’d call that bullying; they’d consider it their natural charm.

I realize this may all sound harsh and critical, it’s intended to be.  But I will not paint the entirety of the Midwest with this blanket as the standard of behavior. There are some really decent people I have encountered. I’ve been very fortunate to find those loving, caring, and open-minded ones.

But they are rare in this belt of red and holier-than-thou.