I am a firm believer that your attitude can change everything. As a kid when I complained about school or my lot as a middle class, white kid in eastern Iowa, my mom was pretty quick to point out that the only thing I could control was my attitude. Now, I will readily admit that I am not always so quick to adopt my own advice, but when I do it makes the world appear better.
That being said, after living here for nearly six years, I think St. Louis needs a collective attitude adjustment. It seems like so much time and energy in the local media, online comments, the blogosphere or in casual conversation focuses on what is bad about the area— how we aren’t as cool as other cities, or how we’re deficient at this or that. I certainly agree that there are a lot of things that can and should be improved about my adopted home, but there are a lot of fantastic things taking place as well.
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I do have a confession to make: When I first moved here, I wasn’t completely sold on St. Louis. I moved here after I graduated from college for love. My boyfriend (now husband), Greg, had moved here after he graduated in 2004, and I followed a year later. St. Louis was ok, but I had my eyes on bigger and better things.
After a vacation to Chicago in the summer of 2006 we had one of the most intense fights of our almost 10 year relationship. I’ll spare you the details, but basically it can be summed up as: I am only here because of you. I should be someplace better, and this is your fault. Luckily, I came to my senses, apologized profusely, didn’t up and leave for Chicago or someplace else. In the intervening five years, we have put down roots in St. Louis, making more and more friends, becoming attached to our neighborhood, building careers, discovering the eccentricities of a city that is not quite Midwestern and not quite Southern, and buying a 1909 two-story brick house that needs some serious TLC.
There are so many great things in St. Louis. Yes, it is easy to focus on the negative, but the positive, the good is what makes it worthwhile to live someplace. If you are fortunate enough to be somewhat mobile, you don’t stay someplace because it smells like feet and traffic sucks. You stay some place because of something else. It may be big popular attractions that everyone knows about, or it may be small private things that keep you somewhere— like the people you care about.
For me it’s somewhere in the middle. That’s what I want to do, share what I love about my home. You may disagree with what I love about St. Louis, and that’s fine—this is my love letter that I want to share about a city I have grown to love (probably with five people, three of whom are my husband and parents.)
I heart St. Louis.
Hooray! I love St. Louis (and WISH I lived there) so I'm excited to read all about your passion. And does that up your reader list to six? :)
ReplyDeleteI do believe that yes, the readership is up to six. I think I live with being a liar in this instance.
ReplyDeleteMake that seven! I have always loved St. Louis, especially South St. Louis City. When I left to live somewhere else (Denver), I missed St. Louis SO much. There is so much potential here, so much creative energy, so much charm, often occluded by negativity. We all know it's there, like a diamond in the rough. We are glad you stayed in St. Louis and became our friends. = -)
ReplyDelete