Over the past week, I have been in a car for approximately 29 hours. That's not counting cab rides or subways that took me to and from my various destinations around New York City. And I'm still in the car - probably for about another three hours. I pity my family who all have to drive another 16+ hours to get back to the great state of Minnesota starting on Thursday.
To make the trip bearable, there have been a variety of solutions.
1. Family games. These range anywhere from talking in accents and tickle wars to keeping track of state license plates. So far on the trip, we've seen all but 15 (two of which are Alaska and Hawaii, so really we've seen all but 13).
2. Lots of reading. I've been rereading the Harry Potter series and managed to burn my way through Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows since leaving home. Unfortunately, I read the last few chapters of the latter last night which completes the series. So now I'm bookless for the last leg of the journey.
3. Movies! I've actually only watched one, but Annika used the computer to entertain herself quite a few times. Ocean's 11 was a welcome break from the road.
4. Writing... Or editing, more aptly. The Legend of Harthore is slowly coming along, but I really need to sit my butt down and actually finish it.
5. Naps!!! I can't tell you how many times I've fallen asleep on this trip - on trains, in our car - in a variety of different positions which have left me in various levels of soreness, and on three (soon to be four) different beds.
That all being said, complaining is not entirely the point of this post. Entitled "Flyover States", I have to admit that flying over Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York is sounding better and better. But I don't believe God created them as flyover states, so I decided to use this post to find the reasons why each state is worth driving through - even if it does force me to spend about as much time in the car as out of it.
1. Minnesota. Which is home, obviously, so there's that. More to the point, there are 10,000+ lakes. Which seems normal but is actually insane. MN has more "coastline" than any other state.
2. Wisconsin. The state of the cheese heads! But in all seriousness, three of my good friends from high school live in Wisconsin (Claire, Julian, and Mick). Plus they do have some gorgeous cliff formations and awesome biking trails.
3. Illinois. Corn and farmers! And my cousins, who are incredible. Plus there's Chicago where I had my audition for The Voice. Basically, Illinois has a bunch of awesome memories.
4. Indiana. Which holds Notre Dame, the school that I literally think half of the Trinity Class of 2013 applied to. Plus there's Trinity School at Green Lawn, sister school number 1.
5. Ohio. This one was hard because I know little to nothing about OH. But driving through it was pretty gorgeous with all of the hills and trees.
6. Pennsylvania. Which (obviously) is the home of Grove City!! I can't wait to get started with whatever crazy adventure God has planned for me there - whether it lasts 4 years or 1!
7. New Jersey. Again, a harder one. But my friends aunt and uncle live there, and they were super charitable to host Bessie the Van for three days while we were in New York City!
8. New York. While the city is totally insane, polluted, and - yes - at moments terrifying, it really grew on me over the course of our time there. Yes, stairs to a fifth floor apartment were awful. And yes, the subway was creepy. And no, I don't know if I'll be visiting Staten Island any time soon after a creepy encounter with a homeless man. But Broadway is incredible, and the hustle and bustle keeps up a fast pace that I just love. Outdoor cafes are incredible, Central Park is gorgeous, and the way the city lights up at night is riveting.
NYC is (in my humble opinion) the true cultural center of the United States. And while that's terrifying in some ways, seeing two headlining Broadway stars who are truly incredible, strong, Christian men (Corey Cott and Zachary Levi - and that's not just from the tabloids) is inspiring. I want to make a difference like that - using gifts that God has given me, and just loving people around me and being clear about my faith.
That all to say that Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York are hardly flyover. Each of them has a lot of worth, and each of the people there needs the love of Christ shown to them. Through me, my friends, or a few guys on Broadway.
No comments:
Post a Comment