Musings on the Middle
Call me nostalgic but there is some intangible that always
makes me smile when I venture out in the American Midwest. Today I found myself running through
the rolling hills of rural Council Bluffs, IA (speed work and hill intervals for
those of you scoring at home). As
more and more of the US succumbs to strip malls and chain mania, it has become
harder and harder to distinguish just exactly where you are. But some internal
compass always alerts me to my presence in Middle America. I'm hard pressed to
hide my affinity for the vast rural interior of these United States.
In an ever more hurried and technology centered world, the
allure of slowing down and getting back to basics is attractive. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ready to
quit producing audio and milk cattle just yet but I admire how folks live out
here. The simplicity of a hard
days work turning the earth is to be appreciated. Majestic sunrises over dew
laden soybeans and seemingly endless star gazing is serene and inspiring for
even the most jaded of city dwellers. There is something to be said you see
more wild turkeys than human beings on a six mile run.
At it's core, life is probably not that much easier out here
as farmers fret over the same high oil prices and unforeseen consequences of
globalization that most do. But
the way of life just seems like an honest way to spend your days while
contributing to the good of the whole.
We bounce around this great land of ours and are fortunate enough to see
all that this country has to offer.
And I just can't help but smile every time I find myself running in the
Midwest in the middle of nowhere.
