Odyssey

I left the Des Moines area 6 years ago for Cedar Falls, IA and the great school of Northern Iowa. When I left I was leaving a metro that I had by far failed to appreciate as a high school student whose idea of a fun time was popping over to Ankeny for a “Fast and the Furious” movie.

 I’ve matured. Thank God, I’ve matured. I enjoyed my time in Cedar Falls well enough. A pleasant college town with enough bars and college atmosphere to appease most students. Yet I was looking for more. A small town in Northeast Iowa was not going to be where I would end up living.

So I took the next reasonable step. A step any sane native central Iowan would take.  I moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Hot. Dry. A 30 minute drive to (Old) Mexico. I did my Americorps term of service there at a homeless shelter. I enjoyed the smell of roasting chili peppers and the beautiful culture of the area. If you ever want to find true hippies you should move to Las Cruces. The hipster pretention is gone because people really “haven’t heard of it yet” and that is the beauty of Las Cruces.

My term of service ran up and I was forced to move on to my next step. My next step ended up being a volunteer for another year, this time in Denver. I worked with injection drug users, junkies if you will. During this time I met some wonderful people. People like you an me, flawed but trying to find their way in this world. I would do street outreach with a backpack of condoms and safe shooting supplies and when I saw a groups of people under bridges I would go up to them and say hi. And you know what? They were all lovely!

So now I reach the present, the modern day, the current reality. I can’t milk the volunteering cow anymore. It is time to go forth and make reasonable amounts of money and live in a location for more than a year.

So where shall I head?

Des Moines. Yes, Des Moines.

Because in these last few years I have discovered and learned so much, yet Des Moines has always been in my heart.

A flourishing downtown, a great art scene, and a great economy; what’s not to love for a guy entering his mid-20’s?

Yes, Denver is beautiful, that Rocky Mountain view is breathtaking but the humble elegant beauty of Grey’s Lake or the East Village in Des Moines is my love.

Yes, Las Cruces has a beautiful, vibrant culture. But the honest and kind people of Iowa are what do it for me.. Des Moines is blossoming with a culture of its own and I cannot wait to be part of that, nor would I risk missing it.

So I am soon to return from my 6 year exodus from “The DSM”. I have loved my experiences out west. I have learned a lot about myself and about how I view the world. I have learned that Des Moines is where I want to be able to approach that beautiful skyline and say, “I’m home”.

I’m coming home, Des Moines. See you soon. 

(All photos are taken by the blogger)