Name Six: Growing Up In Wyoming

From Seth to Rick:
Name six things that were great about growing up in Wyoming.

*Rick moved to Wyoming in the third grade and has never really left; Seth moved there in ninth grade and left four years later.

1.) The Open Land. I wouldn't say wilderness, because it's mostly prairie, at least in this corner. I love the fact that from the center of Wyoming's largest city you can be in an open field in under six minutes. Growing up, it was always nice to get away from civilization in a hurry.

2.) Being behind the times in terms of cultural fear. Growing up, I know my parents heard stories of abductions and poisoned candy, but they always talked about those stories in tones of them happening in other places. I appreciate that I was allowed to talk to strangers.

3.) Big Fish Syndrome. There are certainly downsides once you graduate and leave the state, but with as few people as we have in the state, it is easy to be one of the best in the state at anything. I remember being told that our senior year I could have been one of the state's top five discus throwers, because only four students competed in that event that year. It's a nice feeling, even if it is bogus.

4.) Appearance of Wealth. My family is pretty firmly middle class- there were months where keeping the thermostat low was a big deal, and there were other months when my sister and I got a little extra allowance 'just because'. There were absolutely families with more money than we had, but because of the size of town we lived in, the rich had to shop the same aisles of Target with the rest of us. I was well into my teens before it occurred to me that some people could buy more than other people could.

5.) Learning to Drive. I still have no idea how first-time drivers get any feel for their cars learning in metropolitan areas. I would say that I never really understood my car until I spent 45 minutes in it covering 50 miles (back when the speed limits were 65mph).

6.) State History. It seems to me that children growing up in Pennsylvania, when they learn about state history, get a deeper look at the 1600s settlers that we all studied. Around here, though, state history is the story of westward expansion; in Wyoming specifically, there seemed to be an imbalance of stories dealing with the harsh weather, as though Jack London were traveling with Lewis and Clark. I loved it.

Readers: What are your favorite things about growing up in your home state?