Published: September 02, 2008 11:38 pm            

I wouldn’t trade if I could

EDMOND — A friend recently confided that she is struggling to keep a good attitude about moving. Her husband has graduated and the nature of his field makes it likely that the family will have to move to the East Coast. “I have everything I want here,” she said. But her health is iffy and she agrees that it’s time for her husband to shoulder the responsibility of supporting the family.

I tried to comfort her as she contemplates the probable change. “I thought I had everything I wanted too in Colorado,” I said. “We had 5 acres of pines and meadow with loads of privacy within a 25-minute drive to work, a 7-minute drive to church, and a 15-minute drive to Wal-Mart. We expected to grow old in that house and built it accordingly.”

But companies jog off extra weight and streamline their processes. My husband’s company offered to relocate us to Oklahoma City with new duties for him. The alternative was Kansas City or unemployment. Edmond seemed like the best alternative in the area, though our house-hunting trip was in the early spring. Our Realtor showed us a dozen houses we would enjoy, in Edmond’s top-notch school district and within an easy commute to work. There was plenty of shopping from the big box type to quaint little shops. Libraries and parks and even a university seemed like the ideal mix. The more we looked, the more excited we were.

Now we’ve tasted the fruit off the first trees and berry bushes I planted, and expect to begin harvesting a heavy crop of asparagus next spring. Flowers I only dreamed of growing when I perused the garden catalogs in Colorado grace my gardens now.

My intention was to comfort my friend that even when a move seems as unpromising as Oklahoma was to my Colorado eyes, it can turn out better than you expect. The more I thought of it though, the more I realized that I wasn’t comforting her at all. I recognized that I wouldn’t go back if I had a straight across trade offer, but by the same token, I would be loathe to leave Edmond.

It’s not just the conveniences and appealing amenities either. Colorado Springs has lots of military including the Air Force Academy so there is lots of patriotism there, but no more than Edmond. The pace of life is a little slower here — if you don’t believe me, try to drive the speed limit in the middle lane of the freeway. There are places in easy reach for water sports and fishing, but we also have the big city conveniences of cultural and sports events within an easy drive. The more I talked of all the good things we found here after our move, the sorrier I felt for my friend who must leave.

She’s going east, so I considered that we don’t have any houses that belonged to founding fathers here in Oklahoma and we don’t have any beaches for bodysurfing either. There’s only one Smithsonian Institution and wouldn’t it be great to live close enough to see each of the different museums on a different day? There are genuine mountain ranges nearer the coast than we have in Oklahoma, too. I’m sure she’ll enjoy the different cultures she’ll experience as they find their new home.

The more I talked, the less convinced I was that she ought to be eager for the change. I’ve visited most states in the union and though some states are also friendly, none are more friendly than Oklahoma. She’ll not find more state pride anywhere else and she’s not likely to find such a low cost of living either.

I should have reminded her of the potholes on the county roads and the lack of bike lanes. I might have mentioned the bugs and litter bugs and humidity, or suggested she try to turn left without a signal on Broadway at rush hour, but I didn’t think of that. I was just glad that my family’s on the other end of career moves and can send our roots deep in the sticky red clay. It’s a great place overall, and she’ll have to look sharp to make up for what she’s lost.



BETH STEPHENSON is an Edmond resident.

        

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