We Like It Here

even when it's cold outside

Today I'm going to face head-on the inferiority complex of living in flyover country.

The view from one of the “chain of lakes” that overlooks the edge of the city in Minneapolis

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The Inspiration

The inspiration today is an unseasonable warm day in February in the tundra. Tonight’s post is short and upbeat. We like it here.

The Setup

It is February 20th, 2022 when I write this. Today temperatures in the tundra will reach 45F. While this might seem like no big deal to many of you, a Minnesotan in February will take this and run with it (and might not wear a jacket). A good friend invited me to go for a walk around a wonderful Lake in Minneapolis often referred to as one of our “chain of lakes” that helps define the city. I chose the title “We like it here” because that is what the sign the old Metrodome had emblazoned on one of the exits in right field.

The Setup

There is an inferiority complex with living in “flyover country” which the natives tend to overcompensate for. After many years in Minnesota, I have come to a way that makes sense to me to describe life here. Everyone knows the weather is fierce during the winter. I like to say, there’s one big reason not to live here but a thousand small reasons that make life great! Everything just works here.

The Details

While we walked around Lake Nokomis, it never gets old to see the level of bicycle use here regardless of the season. For a brief time, I had a work assignment at a company Quality Bicycle Products, a part of the American bicycle intelligentsia. At QBP the employees commuted to work on bicycles in the wintertime on studded tires and the HQ was solar roofed (yes in Minnesota) with rainwater recovery. The bicycle culture lives (and sometimes shivers in Minnesota). Sunday didn’t require that level of commitment and there were quite of few bicycles out and about. The amount of infrastructure and accommodation for bicycles is just another way that the cities just make the most of every season. Of course, part of the inferiority complex can emerge and we do get our friendly reminders of why we like it here like in this piece about bicycling in the Twin Cities. It seems unlikely that Minneapolis would be mentioned alongside Portland and San Francisco as the best places to bike.

I tell those who live in a winter climate that each storm often stymies their region and that you don’t need to be a victim. One of my favorite small reasons for living here is the extreme preparedness and stoic embrace of the seasons. Scandinavians are stoic. Most bridges in an area defined by water and the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers happen to have automated systems to dispense anti-icing chemicals so bridge decks don’t freeze. That means life goes on and not so much silly drama about every bit of snow being the storm of the century and haggard people buying five loves of bad white bread rarely occurs.

What’s my favorite takeaway from the trying times a while back when rioting over the death of George Floyd took over the city? It was the stories of how each day, without fanfare, the residents arose in the morning and cleaned the streets from the night before and never lost faith that better days were coming.

But most of all, the reason I share this post and found this inspiration was my good friend “J” who made our trek at the edge of the city happen. I am lucky to know him.

This is a record short post for me. Hope you liked it. Here’s a fun song that came out of the creative collaboration of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis who greatly influenced the music scene in my younger years. The artist for tonight had her greatest success putting music together with them. Another unexpected Minnesota connection I suppose for those beyond flyover country :)

WHAT’S NEXT?

My next post is titled “Stop Wining”. I don’t need to be inspired to enjoy a glass of red wine so that I might get some beneficial chemicals. When I take the time to ponder “supplements” I now just don’t get it. Enjoy a glass of wine, eat a few berries, but for Pete’s sake don’t swallow pulverized essence of some chemical suspended in gelatin extracted from a cow hoof in order to get the “benefit”.