Springfield doesn't suck.

Springfield doesn't suck.

It's certainly not for everyone--but it doesn't suck. Lately I've noticed a growing trend of people complaining and groaning about this town. As with any town, Springfield isn't perfect. It's a lot of things but perfect is definitely not one of them.

I don't really like the close minded attitudes of this area sometimes.  The roads kind of suck. The drivers are really inconsistent and...bad. What's with the weird mayor? Why don't we have a Cheesecake Factory? And is the Battlefield Mall really the best we can get here?

But I look past all that because in all honesty, does that really matter? If I want Cheesecake Factory, I'll travel. Plus my hips would be bigger if we did have one. The mall isn't a biggie, I'll just hit up Branson or go upstate. I don't really have to look at the mayor all the time, so who cares if he's weird? As far as the roads and bad drivers, if they didn't exist--what would I complain about?

You see, Springfield doesn't suck. It's not the best, it's not the worst. It's got a lot of pro's and some con's as well. Some days I'm happy to call this my home, other days I want to leave this town and (at least in the moment) never come back. But for me, it's home. It doesn't suck.

So do I get defensive when people say it sucks? Yeah, I do.

And here is why:

1. It's too big to be a hicktown, too small to be....St. Louis or Kansas City- In other words, it has enough NASCAR dads at Walmart decked out in overalls, cowboy boots and a world class mullet, to quench my thirst for laughter in public. It has enough normal people to mingle with and be friends with, without being oversized like KC and St. Louis where you'd miss the gems that we call Ozarks hillbillies. So our claim to fame is: We're not Kansas City but we're not Branson either! Sweet!

2. I like my food, I like my food a lot- I've never met a person outside of Springfield who's came here and liked Mexican Villa. But like a lot of people around here, I grew up on it. I could eat their chips by the bucket full and live on their burrito enchilada style. What would I do with out Andy's? The answer: I'd die! Or Springfield Cashew Chicken. Where else are you going to turn chinese food into half-chinese, half-southern cooking?

3. Churches....everywhere- I've been to other states but I've never seen this many churches in such a tiny landscape. You could say we have almost more churches than we do minorities. (Shameless plug for North Point Church, which is the coolest church in the area).

4. Other stuff- Movie theaters, Kickapoo High School where I spent four years and Brad Pitt attended, colleges, bowling alleys, flea markets, thrift stores, fast food on every street corner, lots of parks, the Nature Center, the zoo, the Fairgrounds, tons of restaurants, lots of call centers, chinese buffets, Bass Pro Shop, more Republicans than I care to meet, the list goes on and on. Springfield is a unique place.

Actually.....a lot of places have similar options. But shut up and stop complaining!

Springfield doesn't suck.