If I said that I grew up in Texas, what images would come flashing across your mind? A rodeo, Dallas, Beyonce, or "Friday Night Lights" probably, right? While all of those are essential to Texas and are representative of the state, the part of Texas I grew up in is more tie-dye and bandana than jeans and boots.

Austin has been called "a blue dot in a sea of red" countless times. Travis county always votes democrat and is far more socially savvy than the more typical right-leaning Texas towns. Austin and the surrounding suburbs are far more liberal than people think Texas has the potential to be. It isn't uncommon to take a stroll down South Congress and see Planned Parenthood volunteers passing out flyers, or several millennials in Bernie tees near the Capitol.

I love where I grew up with my whole heart, and everyday going downtown is an adventure. Growing up in a place where I was the minority taught me patience, grace, understanding and tolerance. In high school, when I finally started to understand the current political climate and began keeping up with news, I saw how much my own views on issues differed from the people around me.

Being the minority with my beliefs taught me how to discuss and talk about politics without an argument brewing. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't mean you have to scream in their face and wait patiently until they change their mind to match yours. About 75 percent of the people my age I know in Austin think differently than I do politically, and that's completely fine.

I believe, to some extent, that as people, we need to be put somewhere where our opinions are challenged and we go against the social norm. It's easy to think a certain way when your opinion is the same as everyone's around you, and the thoughts surrounding you ricochet off each other. Being the minority with my opinions made me constantly second guess my thought process and made my beliefs stronger than they would've been, had I lived in a red area.

It also taught me to handle difficult situations with grace and poise. I'm not going to argue and scream my head off at every protestor downtown who thinks different than I do. I'm not about to lose a friendship over social issues, that's just silly.

While I think differently than the majority of kids my age living in Austin, it's only made me better prepared for the real world. Sometimes y'all just need to get over your differences, grab some queso from Chuys, go paddle boarding on Town Lake, and call it a day.

Go Rebs and God bless,

MJS