A Muncie Girl

As Norville Barnes proclaimed in the Cohen brother's classic, The Hudsucker Proxy, "You're a MUNCIE girl?" Yep, I'm a MUNCIE girl. I was born and raised in the most average town in America. It has given me a mixed blessing of naivety, wide eyed optimism, and genuine interest in any culture different from... well average.

Some have called "Hoosiers" the proudest people in America. They definitely have a zeal about their state and what makes them "hoosiers". I know that begs the question, "What is a Hoosier?" The most common myth tells the story of a greeting commonly given when someone comes over to visit, "Who's er?" or "who is here?". Basically, our title derives from sloppy pronunciation. We may not know what a Hoosier is but we are proud to be one!

My childhood was perfectly, or painfully depending on your perspective, normal. My parents moved to Muncie from Ohio via Pittsburgh looking for a nice college town to raise their children in hopes they would attend the local university. It worked, we all did. They have lived in the same four bedroom ranch for the past 40 years. My sister was born the first year they were in Muncie, and my brother and I followed five years later. In face, we arrived within 4 minutes of each other on August 26th, 1972. Yes, we are TWINS! A fact many of my friends still find fascinating.

Our values were very typical of middle America. Family and faith ranked high on the list, but we were also busy chasing the ever elusive "American Dream". Whether it was studying hard around the kitchen table so we could get into college, or jetting from dance practice to soccer practice to youth group, or dad working long hours to earn the latest incentive vacation to Hawaii, we were always trying to keep up with the Joneses. By the way, who are the Jones and do they know everyone is out to get them?

Basically I remember being happy. We spent most of our days playing in the sandbox with little concern about war or violence invading our little world. Yes we were sheltered, even though I have actually grown to resent that term. I guess I resent it because it as much as I cherish my childhood, it was very protected from anything that was a perceived threat to the "American dream". Still, even as someone who grew up in duress and hardship would say, "it made me who I am today".

I was never one of those kids who hated their parents. They were and still are really good people. They are loving, approachable, compassionate, the kind of people who would give you the shirt of thier back. They also created a comfortable and inviting home. When my friends would come to visit they would call my house "homey". I wasn't sure what that meant, but I figured it was better than "office-y" or "school-y". Now I know it was because of my parent's gift of hospitality and their ability to make everyone "feel at home". In fact, for years after I moved away, my friends who still lived in Muncie would come to my parent's house every Sunday for brunch! I can only pray I created a fraction of that atmosphere in my own home.

As I imagine the impact my parent's move to Muncie made on my life, I am convinced that I would have lived a very different life had they stayed in rural Ohio or suburban Pittsburgh. It is truly humbling to think about. I am who I am because I grew up in the most average town in America. Not content to stay average, I have moved away from Muncie, but I will always respect and appreciate the perspective I have on this world because I was a "Muncie girl".