Why Kansas?
A year ago, if you had asked me about Kansas City, I would have said it’s the stuff of nightmares. Seriously. On more than one occasion I had dreams that we had been forced to leave Colorado to move back to Kansas City, and I woke up with a less than agreeable feeling.
I love Colorado, yet here I am. I bought a house in Olathe, and now it’s where we live. (Olathe is one of the suburbs of Kansas City).
Let me break it down for you:
Colorado
What’s Good About It?
1. Awesome community.
2. The best friends of my life.
3. The best church I’ve ever been involved with.
4. A culture like no other.
5. Hey, it’s in the middle of the freakin’ mountains.
What’s not?
1. Remote location.
2. Far from family.
3. Schools aren’t great. (Unless you’re willing to pay for private school, which we did.)
4. Limited job potential.
5. Houses averaged $350K when we arrived, nearly $600K by the time we left. (I now hear it’s approaching $750K.)
So you can see, there are a lot of great intangibles there, that I doubt I’ll ever find anywhere else. The two big things that kept eating at me were the fact that my kids were growing up devoid of any of their family (though arguments could be made that our friends were as good as family), and that no matter what I did, I’d probably never own a house there.
Kansas City
What’s so great about it? (not much, IMHO)
1. I got a great job here.
2. Close to lots of family.
3. Much cheaper living.
4. Hardly a remote location.
5. We have some pretty good friends here too.
6. Sweet football atmostphere.
7. Really, really (I mean, really) good BBQ.
8. Great schools.
What’s not so great?
1. Close to family. (I’ll explain)
2. It’s a giant, obnoxious city.
3. There’s hardly anything you can do that doesn’t cost money.
4. Lack of culture.
5. The religious community is in the CRAPPER.
So, let me dig into a couple of the burning questions I’m sure you have at this point. First, I’m sure you notice that I mention being close to family as a positive and a negative for Kansas City. Family, in my experience, is a double-edged sword. On one hand, I want my kids to know their grandparents, aunts, and uncles. It’s good to be with family, and to help each other. On the other hand, our family (in general) is so damned dysfunctional (as are most families), that it causes a lot of strife. Just to give you an impression of how Kelly & I have felt about it, we have often referred to Kansas City as “The Hornet’s Nest.” As long as you walk carefully, you’re all right… just be sure not to stir up any trouble, or watch out.
The other thing that has been really tough for us, is finding a church. That may come to a surprise, given Kansas’ reputation as an ultra-conservative, religious right, we-hate-evolution kind of place. Well, you see, that’s the problem.
Don’t get me wrong—I am a Christian. I have been for a very long time. This year, I took the step of getting baptized by our pastor in Colorado. I had been baptized as an infant (I grew up Lutheran), but never took the step myself, on my own accord. Church is important to us, as are our beliefs. Yes, I’m against abortion and evolution. Yes, I would tend to think we should hold off on stem cell research until we find a way to do it without using human embryos. (There are ways, I know, but, well… I’m not going to debate the merits here.) On the other hand, I don’t mind playing a friendly game of Texas Hold’Em, I very much enjoy a good brew fairly often, and I’m not going to tell you you’re going to hell if you disagree with my beliefs.
Some people would say I’m straddling the fence. Actually, most “Christians” around here would say I definitely am. Something HUGE I learned in Colorado is that we can be Christian without denying our humanity. We are humans, after all. I don’t drink a beer to get drunk—I drink a beer because it tastes great with my dinner. Beer doesn’t compromise my faith. Most folks around here seem to think it does.
That’s only one example. I guess ultimately, the problem is that the Christians around here aren’t real. They talk about how we’re only human and not perfect, but then they’ll happily look down on you when you do what you do best—be a human. The people in Colorado were real folks. It was safe there to be frustrated, to say I didn’t understand something, to be angry with God, to even sin… and I was never chastised for it. I was encouraged, loved, and even celebrated.
That’s the key, actually. LOVE. That’s what’s often missing here.
I’m trying to come to terms with my move. I’m still trying to convince myself I made the right decision. I did what I though was God’s will for my family. So far, aside from a lightly bruised pride and a little heartache, I haven’t been let down. I’m optimistic about things in general.
I think Kansas is the best choice for my family right now. I don’t know if it always will be.