I Live in Kansas

I had been in New York for about two weeks when I went to a movie at the AMC Lincoln Square. I saw The Jane Austen Book Club, and when I left the theater it was twilight--that perfect time of night when the sun is almost set and everything looks so lovely. I stood outside the movie theater and looked downtown to see a bevy of cars and the New Yorker building; all the building lights were on along with car lights zooming down Broadway. The City was alive and amazing. And it hit me: I live in New York City. It was powerful and I felt alive. I'd get that same feeling every once in awhile, just random moments where it'd really hit me that I lived in New York City.

One time I left the movie theater here in Topeka, and the sun was setting and the flat landscape looked so beautiful. There wasn't a million cars and lights overloading my senses. It was quiet and lovely. And it hit me--I live in Kansas. I get that feeling every once in awhile, generally when I see the sun setting over the plains. Tonight I was driving home from Lawrence on US 40 after seeing a movie. The sun was nearly set and it was a cloudless night. The trees were silhouetted against the orange/blue/black sky and it was like I could see for miles. It was lovely.

I live in Kansas.