On Wisconsin

I did not grow up in the Midwest.

I have lived in Wisconsin for nine years.

Midwest geography still blows my mind.

Of course, you have Lake Michigan.

I hope I never get over its ocean-like vastness.

On a lot of Wisconsin’s eastern border, you can live right on The Lake. Just there, on Lake Michigan. Incredible.

I’ll never forget driving back from the UP (Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, another mind-blowing part of the Midwest), during a blizzard on a very snowy highway, right on The Lake. Right there. Whew.

Then, you have the neighboring states—and the Mighty Mississippi.

For the second time this summer, I’m at a wedding in the western part of Wisconsin.

The first: La Crosse, Wisconsin, on the Mississippi River, across from Minnesota.

Do you know what is on the other side of Minnesota?

The Dakotas. They’re legit just one state away. This blows my mind.

The second: Prairie du Chein, Wisconsin, on the Mississippi River, across from Iowa.

We are so close to Iowa, my phone thinks I’m there.

I’ve actually seen the Mississippi River more living up here than I did when I lived in Mississippi.

I’ve envisioned it as this big deal thing. And it is, but it also is just there. A normal part of the locals’ lives.

Yes, I learned the location of all 50 states in elementary school.

Yes, I learned about each state that borders the Mississippi River.

Yes, I learned HOMES to name the Great Lakes.

But my time in Wisconsin proves: You cannot really know something until you live it.

You cannot really take in the bigness until you see it or the nearness until you feel it.

I recall feeling this when I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time—awe. It legit silenced me. No book, movie, TV show, picture, or painting can do it justice. It is just so grand (indeed).

But, it doesn’t always require something as big as the Grand Canyon to connect with my sense of awe and wonder.

Wisconsin is a beautiful state.

The farmland between Madison and the Mississippi River, in southwest Wisconsin also silenced me on our drive yesterday. Shades of green and some crops (ginseng) I’ve never seen before.

I love expanding my world view and taking in new things, things I’ve only read about or learned about long ago in school.

You don’t have to travel far to take in these moments.

They’re right here around us all.

In an otherwise very hectic time of life, I’m grateful for these reminders and wonders.

I hope you find some to take in this weekend, too.

#lawyerwellbeing #professionalwomen #mindfulness