There are many differences between South Bend, Indiana and my hometown, located deep in the heart of Texas. I’m still confused when someone refers to coke as “pop,” and I never quite defrost from the winters up here, but something about this city keeps me coming back for more. You could call it wanting to seize opportunities to stay close to friends, or maybe call it being too lazy to move somewhere else … or you could call it having pride in my city.If you ask all of my Notre Dame friends to describe me using five words, you can bet one of them will be “Texas.” I may not have the Texas drawl, or run around in my cowboy hat and pick-up truck (they’re back home) or ride my horse about town (also back home), but I sure as heck am proud to be from Texas. In fact, from what I've gathered from friends at school, most Texans are pretty damn proud of their homeland- and they’re usually obnoxious about it.
You can rest assured that the first thing up on the wall in my dorm room (before unpacking anything else), and the last thing to be packed before returning home, was my Texas flag. During the first week of college at the club fair, I cinched up my chaps, snapped on my spurs, and marched right up to the Notre Dame Texas Club booth. Over my years as a Notre Dame student I displayed my Texas pride as a die-hard Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers fan, and I made sure everyone around me knew and celebrated Texas Independence Day (March 2). I even dragged as many friends as I could to see Texas for themselves. Still doubt my devotion to the Lone Star State? Allow me to give you a little sample of the Texas mantras I’ve personally adopted: “Don’t mess with Texas,” and “Everything’s bigger in Texas.”
The funny thing is, y’all could ask me what the source of all this Texas pride is, and I’m not sure I would have a solid answer for you. Texas was where I was from, Texas was my home. It’s hard to define exactly what serves as the catalyst for such strong pride. Is it the amazing people I met there? The experiences I had? Or is the connection something stronger, forged from the desire to engage, interact with, and impact the community that influenced my growth as an individual?
I’ve come to realize that while all of these contributors are important, we become attached and especially prideful of projects, events, ideas, and social circles that we directly influence and shape. Once I left Texas and came to school in Indiana, I had time to reflect on the effort and energy I had dedicated to my community back home- hence the 10-gallon sombrero-sized Lone Star State attitude. Now in my sixth year in South Bend, I’ve got a master’s degree under my oversized belt buckle, innovative solutions and creative ideas in my mind, and the enFocus outlet to exercise those ideas. I have found myself in a position among an amazingly talented, empowering team that’s poised to affect positive change in this city. The doors have opened. The opportunities have expanded. In short, “everything is bigger in South Bend.”
I’ve come to realize that while all of these contributors are important, we become attached and especially prideful of projects, events, ideas, and social circles that we directly influence and shape. Once I left Texas and came to school in Indiana, I had time to reflect on the effort and energy I had dedicated to my community back home- hence the 10-gallon sombrero-sized Lone Star State attitude. Now in my sixth year in South Bend, I’ve got a master’s degree under my oversized belt buckle, innovative solutions and creative ideas in my mind, and the enFocus outlet to exercise those ideas. I have found myself in a position among an amazingly talented, empowering team that’s poised to affect positive change in this city. The doors have opened. The opportunities have expanded. In short, “everything is bigger in South Bend.”
Now, when I pull out of my South Bend driveway with my snow-tire equipped car wearing a winter parka, a familiar historic nostalgia grips me. I drive downtown into my territory, my mission, my “Alamo,” impersonating Davy Crockett, a famous Texas Revolution figure who brought his passion and desire to positively affect Texas’ efforts in creating change. When others are surprised to find me sticking around here for the long haul, asking me why I’m not in the big city or back on the open plains of warm, sunny Texas, I look them in the eye and deliver a personal rendition of one of Crockett’s famous quotes: “You may all go to hell, I’m going to South Bend.” When my friends come to town to visit, instead of showing off the Dallas skyline, I’m rattling off the best spots in downtown South Bend. If we ever start discussing opportunities being cultivated in cities across the nation, I’m now quick to interject: “Hey, don’t mess with South Bend.”
Singing this different tune is pretty exciting. Whether I’m cheering on the Silver Hawks at The Cove, diving into an amazing shake at the South Bend Chocolate Café, or intently listening and sitting in on a City Council meeting, I’m proud to be where I am, and you should be too. For one thing, I’ve respectfully folded up the Texas flag in my room and have left a big blank wall for when Mayor Pete gives me a South Bend flag. And I can proudly and truly say that if I leave this city, with tears in my eyes and a knot in my throat, that flag will be the last thing I take down and pack up.
Singing this different tune is pretty exciting. Whether I’m cheering on the Silver Hawks at The Cove, diving into an amazing shake at the South Bend Chocolate Café, or intently listening and sitting in on a City Council meeting, I’m proud to be where I am, and you should be too. For one thing, I’ve respectfully folded up the Texas flag in my room and have left a big blank wall for when Mayor Pete gives me a South Bend flag. And I can proudly and truly say that if I leave this city, with tears in my eyes and a knot in my throat, that flag will be the last thing I take down and pack up.
RSS Feed