Open Letter to Oklahoma
Dear Oklahoma (and the people living here),
Your collective low self esteem as a state and a people is troubling me. I can't count how many times I've been somewhere and people find out that I'm from Denver and give me this apologetic look and say something like, "well, it's not THAT bad..." or "I'm sorry...", or "why the heck did you move HERE?"
What is so wrong with Oklahoma? Seriously! I'm from a small town where there wasn't much to do, but even they didn't spend this much time apologizing for themselves. Sure, Oklahoma isn't Hawaii or California, but so far, I think it's a pretty cool place to live. The only real thing you guys should be apologizing for is your lack of a Whole Foods market and more vegetarian restaurants!
I asked some Ol' Timers about this propensity for over apologizing and they seem to think that it stems from the Great Depression and the idea of "Okies" and the dust bowl... But I think everyone needs to stop and look around! The land here is lush and green everywhere I look. There are birds and flowers and healthy grass everywhere. There is a beautiful lake in the center of town with trails all around, and plenty of water sports. It's hot here, but this last week, things have cooled down and it's pretty pleasant. The bugs seem to be mellowing out as well, which is a huge relief.
I bought a sweet house for an unheard of price, so that alone endears me to you. Sure, downtown doesn't have QUITE as many options for dining as Denver, but so far all the restaurants on the Northwest side have made up for it. The shopping has been great, and I'm really looking forward to this Tax-free weekend coming up! The cost of living here is much cheaper in general and I've been able to find a lot of bargains on stuff for the house, so that's great too.
Sure, there are no Rocky Mountains here, but there is a rich and vibrant lake culture. Sure, the dining isn't quite as varied, but it seems to be improving all the time. Sure, the state is mostly conservatives, but there seems to be a strong little pocket of some left wing liberals and they serve GREAT coffee. :) Sure, there aren't as many museums here, but the ones that do exist are interesting and full of history. Besides, how many times can you go to a museum? Even the ones in Denver start to get a little stale after a while...
So, buck up! As an outsider, I can say that it's not as bad as you all make it out to be. Maybe you're just not getting out enough... Have you ever been to Great Falls, Montana? Now that is a town that ought to be apologizing to some people...
Thanks for listening,
~erin
P.S. Order up that Whole Foods. SERIOUSLY. I mean it.
Your collective low self esteem as a state and a people is troubling me. I can't count how many times I've been somewhere and people find out that I'm from Denver and give me this apologetic look and say something like, "well, it's not THAT bad..." or "I'm sorry...", or "why the heck did you move HERE?"
What is so wrong with Oklahoma? Seriously! I'm from a small town where there wasn't much to do, but even they didn't spend this much time apologizing for themselves. Sure, Oklahoma isn't Hawaii or California, but so far, I think it's a pretty cool place to live. The only real thing you guys should be apologizing for is your lack of a Whole Foods market and more vegetarian restaurants!
I asked some Ol' Timers about this propensity for over apologizing and they seem to think that it stems from the Great Depression and the idea of "Okies" and the dust bowl... But I think everyone needs to stop and look around! The land here is lush and green everywhere I look. There are birds and flowers and healthy grass everywhere. There is a beautiful lake in the center of town with trails all around, and plenty of water sports. It's hot here, but this last week, things have cooled down and it's pretty pleasant. The bugs seem to be mellowing out as well, which is a huge relief.
I bought a sweet house for an unheard of price, so that alone endears me to you. Sure, downtown doesn't have QUITE as many options for dining as Denver, but so far all the restaurants on the Northwest side have made up for it. The shopping has been great, and I'm really looking forward to this Tax-free weekend coming up! The cost of living here is much cheaper in general and I've been able to find a lot of bargains on stuff for the house, so that's great too.
Sure, there are no Rocky Mountains here, but there is a rich and vibrant lake culture. Sure, the dining isn't quite as varied, but it seems to be improving all the time. Sure, the state is mostly conservatives, but there seems to be a strong little pocket of some left wing liberals and they serve GREAT coffee. :) Sure, there aren't as many museums here, but the ones that do exist are interesting and full of history. Besides, how many times can you go to a museum? Even the ones in Denver start to get a little stale after a while...
So, buck up! As an outsider, I can say that it's not as bad as you all make it out to be. Maybe you're just not getting out enough... Have you ever been to Great Falls, Montana? Now that is a town that ought to be apologizing to some people...
Thanks for listening,
~erin
P.S. Order up that Whole Foods. SERIOUSLY. I mean it.
Labels: apologizing, OKC, oklahoma, oklahoma city
posted by Saucy Britches at
8/01/2008 06:04:00 AM
8 Comments:
I wish more people had your sense of positive, non-biased adaptiveness. Adaptiveness? Adaptation? Whatever it is. Honestly, though, thanks for being so open. It should be a lesson to us all, Okies or otherwise.
WHOA there, Saucy! Don't you be blasphemin' my adopted hometown of Great Falls!
And I've lived in Oklahoma, too -- in fact, I done graduated from Choctaw High School way back in '84. Lived in Enid, too. I like Oklahoma -- nice people, nice topography.
But Montana - and Great Falls - takes a back seat to NO place!
;-)
Apologies to Great Falls -- I was only implying, via my experience of living there for 3 1/2 years, that there is a lack of entertainment and vegetarian restaurants. But, you're right -- Eve good Ol' GF wasn't THAT bad. :)
WOW! You are SO right! This was very well written. You should submit it to the Daily. :-) As an Okie, born and raised, I think I always got the impression that people from other states thought that they were "better". I am from Shawnee, so not nearly as tiny as some spots in Oklahoma. However, if you ever visit Wagoner, Eufala, Vian or Checotah (home of Carrie Underwood), then you might see why people apologize...
Well, golly. You make OKC sound like a ding dang Shangri La! Haha. Hey, there is a health food chain in Oklahoma. I can't remember the name, but it has a decent reputation (or so I remember).
Wouldja believe that we now have a "Health Food Cafe" located downtown? Hey, it's a start!
I'm glad you have such a positive attitude. After learning the price you paid for your house, I'm a tiny bit tempted to move to OKC myself:)
yay! Yes, everyone just move to OKC and then it really WILL be Shangri-La... Right now the only things missing are my best and dearest friends and the aforementioned Whole Foods. ;)
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