All the ways Kansas finds me
Well, I finally did it. As of the beginning of November, I have finally lived in one location for at least one year without changing addresses, towns, or states. Last November, I moved into 417 and as of this November, I still currently live there. (Although, ironically, I am writing this post from a hotel room in Weatherford, Oklahoma. Oh work).
Now, I've been in Kansas for awhile, but even then I left for Illinois and then moved back. Moreover, in Hesston alone I've lived in 4 different houses ( well, including the house I house sat for a month, which I count because it is the closest thing I've ever had to experiencing living alone) This is kind of a big deal. I haven't been sleeping in one location since 2004, the year before I started making the treks between my parents' house in Illinois and Bluffton University.
Time is marching on and I am finally adult enough to have to lug from my stuff from one place to the next.
This is a big deal for me. I have commitment issues when it comes to places and furniture. Or, at least, I used to. Okay, yeah, maybe I am still working through some of that. (The other day my coworker asked me if I was interested in buying a house. AH! What? Me? Buy a house? in Kansas? or at all for that matter? That is just plain nuts). Still, I now own furniture that will not fit into my car. I have a garden. I feel the most settled I have maybe ever felt. It's a nice feeling.
But it's in Kansas.
Who would've thought I would still be here. I came back in 2010 with no game plan, except to bake at a coffee shop for awhile, hang out with the Bakers, and see what happens.
Life is a little bit different now. I no longer work at coffee shop and my sister lives back in North Carolina. And I am still in Kansas.
I may not always enjoy my geological location, but I have to say that Kansas has found me in times when I needed her the most.
I came to Kansas in the fall of 2010 pretty broken and disoriented after a hard year of service in South Africa. I was brokenhearted by the church, had graduated during the recession with an ambiguous degree and extremely lonely. I needed my sister. I needed something to keep me busy. (like making more cinnamon rolls that I could even count). I needed a break from church. I needed to be cared for.
And in every possible way, Kansas came through for me. I was well loved by the Bakers. (I spent many evenings on my sister's couch crying, laughing and/or eating popcorn). My connections at the coffee shop eventually lead to me greater work opportunities (and now I get to work for an organization to which I've always looked up). I was able to connect with an impromptu small group that helped me talk about faith struggles in a safe and loving community. And I met Levent, which has been the greatest adventure of them all thus far.
I bash her. I call Kansas names, but deep down I know that I am truly grateful to be in the prairie for this season of my life. Even now, when it is so hard to be away from my sister that is hurts, I know this is a good place for me to be. It has been a good place for me to heal, for me to finally figure out what this adulthood thing is all about, and for me to grow in ways I never expected.
And hey, the mild winter weather and the cheap cost of living isn't so bad either. So, for now, my suitcases remain contently unpacked.
Time is marching on and I am finally adult enough to have to lug from my stuff from one place to the next.
This is a big deal for me. I have commitment issues when it comes to places and furniture. Or, at least, I used to. Okay, yeah, maybe I am still working through some of that. (The other day my coworker asked me if I was interested in buying a house. AH! What? Me? Buy a house? in Kansas? or at all for that matter? That is just plain nuts). Still, I now own furniture that will not fit into my car. I have a garden. I feel the most settled I have maybe ever felt. It's a nice feeling.
But it's in Kansas.
Who would've thought I would still be here. I came back in 2010 with no game plan, except to bake at a coffee shop for awhile, hang out with the Bakers, and see what happens.
Life is a little bit different now. I no longer work at coffee shop and my sister lives back in North Carolina. And I am still in Kansas.
I may not always enjoy my geological location, but I have to say that Kansas has found me in times when I needed her the most.
I came to Kansas in the fall of 2010 pretty broken and disoriented after a hard year of service in South Africa. I was brokenhearted by the church, had graduated during the recession with an ambiguous degree and extremely lonely. I needed my sister. I needed something to keep me busy. (like making more cinnamon rolls that I could even count). I needed a break from church. I needed to be cared for.
And in every possible way, Kansas came through for me. I was well loved by the Bakers. (I spent many evenings on my sister's couch crying, laughing and/or eating popcorn). My connections at the coffee shop eventually lead to me greater work opportunities (and now I get to work for an organization to which I've always looked up). I was able to connect with an impromptu small group that helped me talk about faith struggles in a safe and loving community. And I met Levent, which has been the greatest adventure of them all thus far.
I bash her. I call Kansas names, but deep down I know that I am truly grateful to be in the prairie for this season of my life. Even now, when it is so hard to be away from my sister that is hurts, I know this is a good place for me to be. It has been a good place for me to heal, for me to finally figure out what this adulthood thing is all about, and for me to grow in ways I never expected.
And hey, the mild winter weather and the cheap cost of living isn't so bad either. So, for now, my suitcases remain contently unpacked.
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