One of my best friends and I recently went to Vegas for our birthday weekend. One of the most unique cities in our nation, Las Vegas is one of the few places you can go where you can be assured that almost all of the people around you are tourists themselves. And that's where it gets interesting.
I met people from all over the world - New York, California, China, and France. It was fun making small-talk with all of them - even the German guy who didn't share any of his chips with me when I kept shooting 9's for him at the craps table. No hard feelings, dude. We're cool.
So, the one common element that kept emerging was this simple question: "Where are you from?"
I would proudly say, "Missouri!"
I would get one of two responses - A pause, with a vacant look, and "Where is that?" or "Really?" with a surprised look. I guess this one came from the fact that I had teeth and shoes with soles.
I don't like generalizations, so I won't make them in turn. But I did get the feeling that I was experiencing Flyover Country-itis. I would find myself describing the location of Missouri on the map - basically saying that it was right in the middle of the country. Most people thought it was closer to Minnesota or Wisconsin. A few times, the mention of Branson would bring them around. I avoided mentioning Todd Akin.
Even when I did hit it lucky, they thought I was from St. Louis or Kansas City - as those are the only two cities in Missouri. I was fine with that - they're great cities, and at least they were in the same state and country.
I love big cities and their people, I really do. Everyone was nice, and no one was hostile. I do wish they had paid a bit more attention in geography class, but that's fine. Do I ever think the people I talked to will visit our state? Probably not. So, if you are from somewhere else and you are curious about Missouri, here are some factoids and things I personally love about being a Missouri girl:
*We are the birthplace of Harry S. Truman
*Mark Twain was from Hannibal, MO.
*The St. Louis Cardinals.
*Many actors have called MO home - Brad Pitt, Steve McQueen, and Kathleen Turner to name a few.
Here, you can experience a crisp Fall evening - warming your hands at a bonfire and telling ghost stories about the Joplin spooklight. Fall in Missouri is spectacular - the trees turn to crimson, gold, and blazing orange almost overnight. You can float down a river at your leisure, a drink in your hand and nothing on your mind but the whirr of tree frogs and crickets. You can hunt for fireflies at dusk, and go to barbecues where we drink sweet tea and eat fried chicken. We are the perfect combination of Southern hospitality and hard-working Midwestern values. We say "excuse me," and "thank-you."
We are more cosmopolitan and sophisticated than we get credit for.
My Back Yard
We still have General Stores and bait and tackle shops. Driving down Old Route 66, you will see these things, in small towns that have only one street. You will see the shadow of clouds racing across fields of fescue, wheat, and corn. You will smell lilacs and freshly-mown clover in the Spring. When you DO fly over us, look down - you will never see a more beautiful patchwork quilt.
We tend to be skeptical of people who talk a big game. This probably comes from the fact that we were a Border state in the Civil War, and there were many betrayals and feuds in our history. You have to show us, not tell us. That's how we got our nickname. Sometimes we are set in our ways, and we like things predictable. We can get a little comfortable, so change comes slowly - but it comes. And when we want something, we work damn hard to make it happen. The mule is our mascot.
There are many things I love about my state. I get tempted by the siren call of the big city at times - and get frustrated by misogynist politicians, slow-moving social change, and the sometimes close-minded attitudes of my fellow Southwest Missourians. But, even still - I remain. I love the seasons. I love the sweet smell as I follow a hay truck down a gravel road, and sledding down a snowy hill in the wintertime.
Bright lights and fancy hotels will never take the place of my Missouri. She's home.
