I just realized that this blog has been up for almost two months. It feels pretty good to have three links over in the archives sidebar. Hopefully this is the beginning of a decent site. As many of you know, I grew up in DC… well, not actually in DC. I grew up in Falls Church, Virginia, which is a suburb of DC just across the Potomac river on the Virginia side. Since I came to college, I have been home only once for a few days. That trip was really just to go to the March for Life. However, I’m leaving today to spend the next four days in DC. To be honest, I really don’t like spending much time in DC. This isn’t because I don’t like my family; I see them all the time, since they come to Kentucky so often. I simply don’t like the feel of the place.

There is something about a big city that is entirely centered around governing this world’s most powerful nation that does not appeal to me. There is something about the crowds of people who are caught up in their all-important affairs that makes me a bit uncomfortable. Lexington I like. Perhaps I’m a bit biased because I live here, but I certainly don’t suffer from the ‘grass is always greener’ syndrome. I like a medium-sized American city where you can still drive to horse farms in 10 minutes. I’m certainly not in favor of living in a small town where you can’t get your hands on things you need and you have to drive to the nearest major city. The really major cities, however, like DC make me feel dirty. I feel like all the buildings are covered in dirt, and people are too busy to stop and say hello.

If you are one of my many friends that live in DC, please don’t take offense. I don’t mean to insult or attack the place at all. I just don’t know why big cities like DC get under my skin so much. I think there is a different focus there. It is much harder to talk about God, because there is so much there that has to do with this world and this life. There are a million and one distractions to pull you away. Somehow when you are in the middle of the political center of the world it is easier to think that man’s devices can actually do something about the evil that we see every day. Perhaps it is just that when I lived in DC I spent a lot of time running away from God, and that has changed my perception of the city in my memories.

Whatever the reason for my discomfort, I hope that this trip we can do some good. I’m going with a few of my church brothers and I hope to have a productive time with them. I hope I can see some old faces again and have some meaningful conversations. I also hope that my perception of Washington can be changed in my mind for the better.