Friday, March 29, 2024

I Was Thinking... Where to Be?

Despite my plea to “embrace winter” a couple of weeks ago, winters can seem long in Minnesota. That is especially true since we have some friends that are wintering in Hawaii, another in Gulf Shores and yet another couple in Arizona. Whenever I hear of someone escaping for a while to warmer areas, I wonder, why do we live here?

Growing up, my family did quite a bit of traveling. I had been in more states than many of my friends. Since I’ve been married, my wife and I have also enjoyed seeing new places. Retirement has given us the opportunity to visit areas both in and out of our country.

Travel can give you a new perspective on the world. There is a lot of the world that is nothing like our little corner of the planet. But even Minnesota can’t be described with a brief statement. Except maybe for being cold. The bluff area of southeastern Minnesota differs widely from the forest covered areas of Northern Minnesota. The plains of Southwest Minnesota are very different from the lake country near Brainerd.

We have our own diversity. But our country is a model of diversity.

The ragged coastline of Maine is in direct contrast with Florida’s sunny beaches. The everglades bear no resemblance of the vast canyons of Arizona. The flatlands of North Dakota differ greatly from the rolling tree covered mountains of West Virginia. The wide open spaces of Montana are nothing like the congested urban sprawl of the areas from Boston to Philadelphia. The towering forests of Washington are a stark contrast to the flatlands of Kansas.

Our country offers a wide range of topography and climate. And yet people seem to find homes in every part of this diverse nation.

People in Arizona can’t understand why anyone would want to live in an area where the ground is frozen for half the year. People in the upper midwest can’t understand why anyone would want to live in an area where summers are almost always over 100 degrees and the only green grass you see is on a golf course.

Those that live in huge metropolitan centers wonder why anyone would prefer to live in a tiny town with limited cultural opportunities. Those in small towns can’t understand why anyone would live in an area with constant traffic congestion. Someone in Nebraska wouldn’t want to live with the threat of earthquakes, forest fires, and mud slides. Californians can’t understand people living in an area surrounded by corn.

Those that are regularly threatened by hurricanes don’t get why anyone would live in tornado alley. Some watch out for alligators, some are careful about rattlesnakes and scorpions while others battle mosquitoes for much of the year. Everybody lives with something that outsiders wouldn’t be willing to put up with.

I’ve enjoyed the majesty of the Alps, the Moors of Scotland, the canals of Venice, and green fields of Ireland. The fjords and mountains of Norway are spectacular as is the Black Forest of Germany.

It is almost impossible to describe the vastness of Alaska or the beauty of Hawaii.

Every place has a uniqueness that needs to be experienced.

Each has a beauty that is distinct to their region. The barren mountains of Arizona have a beauty unlike the towering Rockies or the tree covered Appalachians in full autumn color.

Those that have been lucky enough to see and experience various parts of our world can appreciate its diversity. They have seen, appreciated, and experience areas vastly dissimilar to where they live. They may have experienced the culture, taken in the beauty, and enjoy for a time the differences.

Yet for the most part, those who have traveled seem to always come back to the area they call home. So if it is the dry arid area of the southwest, the hot sticky climate of the southeast or even the frozen tundra of Minnesota, there is still no place like home.

Did You Ever Wonder?- If the world is getting smaller, why do postal rates keep going up?’

Photo: I was thinking Ron Albright

 

 

Dodge County Independent

Dodge County Independent
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Plaza 57 • Suite 200
Kasson, MN 55944

Dodge County Printing
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Kasson, MN 55944

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