kansas

Kansas
(OK. So I knew I was going to get long winded – hence I dreaded the blog… I promise next week will be a shorty)
Naturally, as a child I never thought about Kansas through the eyes of others – but I knew that through my eyes it was far from ideal. During our brief life in the Pacific Northwest I became all too familiar with Kansas stereotypes, and perhaps a little too comfortable in the new environment. The ease with which we fit into entirely new surroundings, as well as the constant negative comments we received from others made Jarod and I both wonder if our geographic origins didn’t fit our souls. Now, after two years back in Kansas, I am constantly amused that even our friends and family here expect us to sprout wings any day and fly “far, far away from here.”
So for those of you wondering, “What are you doing in Kansas?” – the simple answer is- “We don’t know.”
But for those of you wondering what it is like for us to live here I have composed a formula (of course entirely non-mathematical and not exact) on living contentedly in any location.
So far I think there are probably give or take about 4 components to any environment that weigh heavily upon me…. Starting from the most external
1. Climate. Kansas climate sucks. Last year, God was extremely gracious to me and hid this from me by giving us an unusually mild and moist year of four rolling seasons and gentle breezes. This year however has been a horrifically long, cold and miserable windy winter followed by an unpredictably (yet consistently windy) dreary spring (leading to record illness and allergies).
2. Culture. Now this is the reason that God was so gentle on the climate aspect last year, because He must have figured of these two Kansas climate was easier to hide. It really did take me an entire year to adjust to a midwestern state of mind. But now, since there have been recent books written about “What’s Wrong with Kansas,” I’d like to take this opportunity to point out some of the positives that have helped me acclimate. * It is stinking cheap to live here, and although it may not seem like a part of culture I must say it ends up effecting every part of ones lifestyle. We don’t have to work as hard – thus I stay home and Jarod takes time off – so we can afford to stay more family focused. *Have I mentioned that there is a lot of open space out here? I am talking huge yards with huge gardens – it’s kinda’ nice. *Things move SLOWER … including traffic – which is nice considering I am a novice bike rider hauling kids in a bike cart. *We don’t lock our doors. *We know our neighbors (and they all know we don’t lock our doors). And honestly… I could go on and on… about what is good about our culture here… but like I said it took me a YEAR of REALLY LOOKING to find it.
3. Community. Now it was said when we left Portland that we were leaving our “Cocoon of love” (thanks Jessica), and we did – but I think we are starting to realize that there are cocoons everywhere – you just have to be vulnerable enough to let people know you need one. “Help – I can’t grow and meet my beautiful potential unless you surround me with your love!” I can deal with the wind if I have a cocoon, and I can deal with politics if I have a cocoon, I can even live without a book club if I have a cocoon. And coming to Kansas we kinda’ had the makings of one already – our families. Now meshing two extended families with busy lives can be a challenge but overall we have to say we are feeling pretty loved in this part of the world.
4. Usefulness. (I wasn’t trying to illiterate the first 3 anyway!) If the cocoon can make an climate and culture bearable then a sense of meaning and usefulness to those around you make it worth baring. So since we have a kid, our sense of purpose is kind of built in, and then we can just expand it into other areas in the community. We love working with some of the youth at the church, and spending time with the handicapped guys who live with my parents. We love helping out as our friends and family remodel all of their houses. I love working at the maternity home and being involved in community projects through the community assistance center. My favorite thing is hanging out with new Christians as we search together to understand who God is and what that means in our lives.
All this to say, the last two are worth far more in this formula than the first two – and the last two can seemingly be found anywhere – so if we can live anywhere happily – why not Kansas?

In other news this week – Jude and I won 2nd place at an Edible Book Contest at our public library for our depiction of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.



The video is just so you can hear the wind on one of the nicest days we have had this spring.