Monday, May 7, 2012

Stalemate!

"Would you rather live in Illinois or Maine?" this question was put to me a while ago by my friend's little brother, Joseph. We were playing a game where we ask each other to choose between two states to call home. This choice in particular, however, puts me in a real pickle.
See, New England and the Midwest are real heavyweight rivals. I've lived in Maine my entire life, but now we are moving to Chicago, Illinois. Am I excited? Where would I rather live? Am I scared? I've been asking myself all that for months. But I just don't have a preference between Maine and Chicago, to be completely honest. They are like natural, creamy, peanut butter and rich, extra-dark chocolate. There is just no rational decision to be made! Here's why: Chicago holds my future, but Maine holds all my memories. Chicago is where my brothers live; Maine is where all my friends are. My mom is from the Midwest; my dad is from New England. Chicago has Gino's deep-dish pizza, but Maine has Helen's legendary blueberry pie. In Chicago, spring is a legitimate season in which the temperature hits the 70s, not a sort of waiting period when (hooray!) the snow starts melting. In Chicago, you can choose from the best of any type of food you want: Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Ethiopian, Mediterranean, Swedish, etc. But in Maine, the only decision you have to make for a top-notch meal is whether you want hard or soft-shelled lobster. Chicago has the most amazing Museum of Science and Industry, but let me tell you that sitting on Wilbur the giant pig at The Children's Discovery Museum in Bangor was one of the highlights of my childhood. Chicago's got skyscrapers; we have lighthouses. A real Chicago dog can beat out our dinky New England red hots 10-1 every time, but Bar Harbor in Maine is where it's at if you want an ice cream cone, y'all. Do I have to choose between riding the "L" in Chicago and taking a drive down for a hike on the Maine coast? In Chicago there's this awesome, huge, silver thing, The Bean, in Millennium Park but...we have whoopie pies! Chicago has beautiful brick houses, but I've lived in my house since, well, forever. Chicago is flat; Maine has mountains. Chicago is the home of the President of the United States, Maine has...Stephen King (Okay, pathetic comparison, I admit, but Chicago has Lake Michigan. We've got the Atlantic Ocean out here, folks). And don’t even get me started on the Bulls vs. Celtics discussion. Rose or Rondo is just not a choice meant to be made. So you see I could go on and on but the point is, I love both! So here's the plan: follow God. I mean, he created Chicago, Maine, and me. He should know how the three fit together. After all he has told me he's got great plans for me! And it's apparent that the plan involves packing up my life and moving to Chi-town, 1000 miles away. He is teaching me through this to trust him with everything, becuase He loves me. I believe that. So even if the Windy City don't got what we got, that's okay. I've come to love all that Maine has to offer; it's time to go get a taste of the funky Midwest!

So yeah, how can you choose between THIS delicious, awe-inspiring, cheesy, Chicago-style pizza...
and THIS sort of pinnacle-of-existence, delectable, breathtaking, piece of Helen's blueberry pie?
You just cant!!! It's simply not possible! They are both way too AMAZING!!!

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