22. live and let live

this is one representative cat at the house down the street from me on the corner. i've thought of her as the cat lady for a while. but today i counted the ones i could see.

there were 13. which means there's probably at least 15 of them.

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what i like about this state is it's generally a "live and let live" kind of place. you do whatever you want, as long as you don't bother me about what i'm doing, i won't bother you. a texan may disagree with you, but i think most texans will just let you go on doing whatever you were doing as long as it's not affecting them.

small towns are best at this. you'd think that wouldn't be the case, but usually they're happy to let you enjoy whatever you personally like as long as it doesn't interfere with them doing the same. my family is from east texas, and boy, i could tell you of some interesting characters.

i like this - i don't care if anyone's judging me, if they let me go on doing whatever i feel like, does it really matter?

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last night, at like 1:30a in the morning, taylor asked me if i saw myself staying in texas, for the long term.

i hedged a little in my answer - i want to live elsewhere, to travel, but yes, eventually, i see myself owning property here.

there was a pause. i said, what about you?

and her reply was so simple, yet so perfect.

"yeah. i like it here."

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as a liberal, forward-thinking, creative, artistic, social service-supporting native texan, i feel there is often unspoken pressure that we should all want to move elsewhere - to blue states with more liberal views and all the things we believe in already there.

i've long felt otherwise, but i realized last night in the car exactly why. i like it here. and i don't believe in lost causes. texas has its issues - like anywhere - and i think we can fix them over time. what does leaving accomplish? nothing. i like it here, and there are many other places to see and live before i stop moving, but ultimately, i'm probably not putting down roots anywhere else.

backblips:

tuesday - 19. bbq
wednesday - 20. se habla español
thursday - 21. live music