Where I now live, there are two kinds of people. Odds are good, where you live the same can be said. However, here, it is not what I expected. I expected “local” and “outsiders”. This implies there are those who “uphold the local beliefs and values” and those who “wish to impose an alternate culture”. This is not the assumption here.

In this section of the USA, there are “from heres” and “come heres”. This only refers to your birth place. There is no assumption of your values, your beliefs, orientation, or other “categorization”. Rather, it is just a point of reference. You could be here two days as quickly as two centuries and still be welcome.

If you were to ask if someone is a “local” you could just as easily get a history lesson on tje 5,6, 7 generations of their family as the expected “I’m originally from ….”

“Come here” or “from here” only refers to your birth. The rest of your presence is up for grabs and you get to choose if you “fit in” or if your are an “outsider”. This is refreshing. A new “come here” has as much a chance of “fitting in” as a 7th generation resident. It’s all up to you.

To be honest, with the definition of “come here” being what it is, the bar is pretty high. This part of the USA has history as old as non-indigenous people can bare witness. So, even “birth place” is hardly evidence on our label.

Fortunately, the real value assigned to a person is “how you fit in”. In short, do you attempt to change who every one else is, or do you accept those who came before you and adapt ?

If you are the first group, you are and “outsider”, all else are welcome. I got this lesson early. I needed permit to clear some trees. Initially, I made a long distance phone call to ask for the procedure. I got a letter in the mail with a long list of questions and a number of technical / engineering requirements. I realized I was out of my league. All I wanted was to put up a barn but the 10 pages of questions was the same as if I wanted to install a shopping mall.

I did the best that I could but decided I should wait. I called the planning office and asked if I could “stop if for some help”. An hour and a half later and I and all the permits I needed and a better understanding of “local” vs “outsider”.

So, what is the lesson here ? For me, it is simple. You can either accept your environment or you can attempt to force it into your own likeness. The latter is possible. In some rare occasions, the latter is correct. However, stop; think; listen; and observe. Everyplace is unique. Everyplace has an entity that has something to teach. Learn what there is to learn before you assume your perception is better than that of your surroundings.

So, do you “fit the place you live” or do you “fit the place to you” ?