If you are a resident of the state of Ohio, there are a handful of things that you and every other Ohioan can relate to. Whether you were born here, or have just lived here for a short period of time, these seven things are pretty understandable:
1. The seasons.
The bitter cold winters that get old as soon as the holidays are over, the spring that attempts to melt winter’s snow, the sweet summers with perfect temperatures and lots of rain, or the cool fall with crisp air and beautiful red and orange leaves.
But if you are from Ohio, you will appreciate the days when we have all all four of them in one day.
2. The community feeling.
Maybe you're from that small town where everyone knows everyone, and you know you will see someone you know no matter where you go. Giant Eagle, church, school, McDonald’s, or just about anywhere.
3. Multi-dimensional places and scenery.
Ohio is very versatile. We have big cities like Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati with loads to offer, but you can also venture north for some time by Lake Erie. We’ve got parks and corn fields and farm towns where your only idea of a traffic jam is getting stuck behind a tractor. And we’ve even got quaint little historic towns that each hold their own charm.
4. Coincidences.
And LOTS of them. Just by coming to college, or traveling out of my small town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio for a little bit, I have come across many of those “Oh yeah I know you “ types of people. It’s so easy to find people you’re connected to in some way. Like running into your hairdresser’s cousin’s best friend’s mother’s step-child that just so happened to go to high school with you.
5. Not having to lock your doors.
Mostly anywhere you go in rural Ohio is safe. You can feel comfortable leaving your doors open or letting your kids play outside with the neighbors until dark. You know most of the people in your community and most likely know their whole family background…so you know they’re not serial killers.
6. Different accents.
“You’re from Cleveland aren’t you?”
“I can tell you’re from Cinci, you have an accent.”
WHAT? What do you people even mean?
But, then once you’re outside of your hometown, you hear it. You can start to spot some of your own people. And we can’t forget about our southerner-sounding homies down in Southeastern Ohio!
7. Lack of faith.
Let me just address the sore subject. Sports. Whether it’s the Cavs debacle with Lebron, the Indians, or the Browns letting us down (thanks Cleveland), we still support them full heartedly. And luckily we’ve got our Buckeyes to hold down the fort. And because of this we go ALL out for games. Tailgating, buffalo chicken dip eating, and intensely celebrating every win are some of our favorite activities. Not to mention the Mirror Lake jump tradition every year before a game against our biggest rivals, (X)ichigan. Needless to say, we’re pretty wild about our sports and every game is more than just a game, it’s a holiday.
Yep that's right. We keep our doors open to our community and welcome random people we just so happen to know while celebrating the change of season and supporting each other over a sports game. We're from Ohio.
