It wasn’t that I really liked the color purple. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever owned anything purple. Still, when I was 13 years old, my parents let me pick out new shag carpeting for my bedroom.

I couldn’t resist the purple.

Why? Because I lived in a suburb of Minneapolis in an era where the “Purple People Eaters” ruled the gridiron. Was there a better way to honor my beloved Vikings than making my “field” purple?

About 15 years later, I moved to Orange County in southern California. I loved the ocean, the crisp morning air, the snow-capped mountains in the winter and the laid-back culture of SoCal. I loved it, but it also became an anesthetic. Don’t get me wrong, I had (and have) GREAT friendships…the kind that last a lifetime. But the longer I lived there, the more disconnected I was from a larger community.

When I moved back to the Midwest, I remember feeling a little claustrophobic. People back here talk to me in the grocery store, and they wear Colts blue every fall Friday. People notice me here, and it’s a lot harder to be invisible.

It was a little weird at first, but I’ve come to enjoy living in a place where we all generally hold some things in common. Like shoveling snow, summer concerts and potholes. Having a larger community has turned out to be a real blessing to my family and me.

As long as I don’t have to put in blue shag……