One of my very first memories was when I was 3 years old sitting in the back of the car, holding on to my blue and white checkered pillow, saying bye to our old house in Oklahoma. I spent a very happy childhood in Atlanta, adventuring about in the pines and by the creek, making up songs and trying various sports throughout the years. Then when I was 11, it happened.
"How would you like to move to Oklahoma?"
Oklahoma? The only thing I remember of that place is dry, flat plains when visiting my grandparents during a few summers. But, I did learn in school that Oklahoma was known for horses, teepees and tornadoes. So I said, "Sure!", thinking it would be another adventure.. and maybe, just maybe, I'd get a horse!
Immediately I was made fun of my first week at my Oklahoma school. I had a Southern accent, bright red hair, awkward social skills and very good posture. I didn't want to stick out in a bad way, so I decided I wouldn't have an accent and that was that. I also noticed how everyone had poor posture so I tried slumping in my seat as well and though it was uncomfortable (and my hair got caught on the back of the seat more times than I could count), I managed to reverse all the hard work my mother put into my straight shoulders and pleasantly alert presence.
I tried to make friends with one girl but on the 3rd day of our friendship she got off the see-saw and said, "I'm bored. I'm going to be friends with Caroline instead." So she skipped off leaving me more alone than ever. I eventually found a shy girl who was just as crazy as me when we got to know each other. We were known as the "Kat Luvers", both discovered we needed wire-rimmed glasses at the same time, both grew out our hair to our waist, and both were unashamedly Lord of the Rings fanatics. We're still friends today.
I didn't get a horse. I saw a teepee once in a museum but quickly learned Native Americans do not live in teepees anymore. I saw the devastating monster EF4 tornado that trekked 24 miles through Moore and Choctaw in 2011 and have taken shelter as a tornado landed, rose up over our heads, and then touched back down a mile away. I've heard enough stories to have nightmares for the rest of my life (but now I am able to lucid dream a shelter just in time).
Since the awkward events of being a normal kid, Oklahoma has treated me well with providing excellent education, a warm welcoming community and a church family that accepts me every time I come and go to the field. One could be under the impression that "Home is where I live" or "Home is where I move to". But this is not my home. And it's not in Atlanta, either.
 |
| Two crazy friends who have become friends for life (6th grade, 10 years later). |
