Headed South

Confession time: I'm not a native Dallasite. I was born and raised in Austin back when it was a relatively little town. By the time I graduated high school, the tech boom was about to hit and it just has never quite been the same since. Now Austin has suburbs. It has "Dellionaires." It has a hundred thousand out-of-work tech professionals. Their jobs have all been outsourced, but Austin is so great that no one ever wants to leave. They'd rather wait tables or work at Home Depot than go elsewhere - not that I blame them.

I got to go home this weekend to run around and just be the crazy Austin girl that I am at heart. I got to drive over the 360 bridge, easily one of the most iconic spots in town. I got to shop at funky bookstores and do my part to support local businesses. It's good for the soul to go to Austin sometime - to eat barbeque, run into people I haven't seen in years, and get back to the hill country.

One of the radio stations has been playing the same promo for years now. Ray Benson (of Asleep at the Wheel fame) proclaims in his rich baritone "It's a great day to be alive in Austin, Texas." Well Ray, I'll drink to that. That he says this during the middle of Austin's legendary rush-hour traffic in no way diminishes the sentiment.

In Dallas, the culture seems to value what a person has more than who they are. In Austin, it's what you can add to the ambience that determines your worth. "Keep Austin Weird" is more than a slogan, people live by it.

I'm sure most people feel about their hometowns the way that I feel about mine. Heck, even Dorothy missed Kansas. And though it's not the same place I grew up, Austin is still where I belong. Because it's a great place to be alive in, no matter what day it is.