Opinion: It’s not where you are, but who you’re with

September 12, 2012

By Hannah Houser
Ranger Reporter

If you have lived in Amarillo for any length of time, you have probably heard someone say something to the effect of, “I can’t wait to get out of this town!”

As a lifelong resident of Amarillo, I would be lying if I said that thought hadn’t crossed my mind. I often catch myself thinking, there’s got to be more out there than flat land, unpredictable weather, and gale-force winds that carry scents of feedlots and oil refineries.

If you stay anywhere long enough the place will eventually lose its luster, and as the expression goes, the grass always looks greener on the other side. Though in this case, the grass is more than likely literally greener. It’s human nature; we are progressive beings, and it’s natural for us to tire of things we’ve spent a lot of time with.

I personally know people who genuinely hate it here, and I can understand why they feel that way. For those who are more artsy and liberal, I recognize that Amarillo isn’t exactly renowned for its open-mindedness and the city often comes off as unwelcoming to new ideas and perspectives. While I don’t consider myself an artsy person, there have been many days when I feel like I’m suffocating…and I’m not talking about choking on the dust that the wind has kicked up.

But there are two sides to every argument. While there are definitely disadvantages to living in Amarillo, if you look hard enough I believe that there are some advantages to calling Amarillo home.
It may be a strange way to look at it, but I think the fact that there isn’t an abundance of activities to do here inspires creativity. For instance, some of my friends and I got together over spring break and had a picnic and photo shoot in the middle of Llano Cemetery.

Now is that an odd choice of activity? Perhaps, but do you think that we would have come up with something like that if we lived in a larger city that supposedly has more to offer?

Though I have no intentions of staying in Amarillo forever I can honestly say that I’m glad to have grown up here. Because of the environment I’ve been able to have some unique life experiences. Come on, who else in the country can say that they’ve spray painted cars for fun, and it was legal?

I’ve learned how to make my own fun. But more importantly, I’ve learned that as long as you enjoy the people you’re with it doesn’t matter where in the world you are.