Degrees……

Here, in the sultry Midwest, we’ve had very high degree days of late. Yucky hot. Sweaty hot. “I don’t wanna do anything” hot.

Interesting, life is. Varying degrees of everything. Saw a friend had arrived back in the states after a mission.. Commented “It is so good to be home, I will never take water, no soldiers with machine guns on the streets everywhere, and freedom for granted. This 4th of July will have extra meaning.”

Article this morning in paper about Garden City, KS. Huge Tyson Foods plant there. Workers from all walks there, as well as living meshed nicely in the community. Lunch break room has signs in three languages (English, Spanish, Vietnamese) and there are approximately fourteen different languages coexisting in employ.
(From Star: The city’s long history with immigrants may make it more welcoming today, experts noted. Kansas State University anthropology professor Janet Benson researched immigration in Garden City in the ’80s and ’90s and was struck by what she calls the city’s “quiet accommodation.”
“People get used to each other,” Benson said. “Our ancestors did. One of the ways they did it was through the legal system and the political arena. As people become citizens they learn about their rights. They vote. And that’s how we change as a people.”
Omar Flores moved to Garden City eight years ago from Chihuahua, Mexico. He said he rarely encounters anti-immigrant hostility. “This town is different,” Flores said while taking his 2-year-old daughter, Adaliz, to a local carnival. “They’re more welcoming. I think they’re used to it.” ) They get along. Cool.

Inner city. Two youths approaching 90 mph in effort to escape police. Finally, turned on midtown highway going South in Northbound lane. Not long after, lost control, off road, flipped time and time again - ejecting driver, pinning him under car. Same police that chased, pushed car off youth, administered CPR - youth later died at hospital. What makes that happen? Somewhere along the way ‘mesh’ didn’t happen. Probable the fault of many. Sad.

Interesting article on Willie Nelson this morning. Every 4th, he has a concert and invites groups from every different kind of music there is… county, rock, rap, hip hop, blues, jazz, etc. Works. Crowd gets along. Different degrees of socio economic, life experiences, upbringings, religion, sexual preference, etc. Works. “Rednecks, hippies, misfits - we’re all the same.” “It’s people drinking beer, smoking pot, and finding out that they have things in common and don’t really hate each other,” Willie says. “Music gives people a chance to enjoy something together.”

Tooka drive this morning (oh the degrees are down, soooo nice) around our little town. Early. 8am-ish. Folks everywhere, out on decks, porches, partaking in the shade and the wonderful brief respite from the degrees. Within a span of 60 to 90 seconds, you can move from one socio-economic end to the other within our town. Somehow, works. Always has. Hopefully always will.

Recently read article announcing Kansas City as “the thirteenth dumbest city in the US.” This was measured by the average number of degrees per square mile. Duh. And surprise surprise, New York City was at the top. Duh. I’ve always been of the belief anyways, degrees aren’t the end all/be all. It’s more of an opportunity, and many aren’t afforded that opportunity. I’ve learnt so much in life from folks not possessing a degree, be they a parent, a boss, a coworker, a friend, whatever. Degree/schmegree.

I know this blog was allover the place. Reckon that’s kinda the point. Degrees, varying, rock. Even when one has a 40 minute commute daily with no AC. Happy degrees, Victurd.