Midwestern Me

I was born and raised in the great state of Illinois. I grew up in a small rural town, went to college in a larger rural town, and then moved to Chicago, the best city in the world. Midwesterners by breeding are modest, earnest, honest, and polite. We say “please” and “thank you,” we hold doors open for strangers, and we nod hello whether walking down a busy sidewalk or cruising down a country road in our pick up truck. We go to potlucks, we help our neighbors, we presume very little, and we’re grateful for what we have. I haven’t lived in the Midwest for ten years, and I miss it.

When I first moved to the East, I had a very difficult time. I was isolated at home with two small children. In an effort to meet other mom’s like myself, I went to a playgroup where none of the women would talk to me because I was an outsider. After a few very awkward and uncomfortable attempts to insert myself into this playgroup, I stopped attending. None of the women followed up to find out why I hadn’t continued. Not to say that there aren’t unfriendly Midwesterners, but we would at least have the good sense to feel bad about making someone else feel so uncomfortable. Read more »