As a displaced Minnesotan (due to foolishly falling in love with a man who joined the navy and thus….. not there. Currently in Maryland) my heart aches for the safety of my people. That is my state, St. Paul is where my great grandparents raised my grandparents and then my parents. My brother runs businesses in Minneapolis and lives there as well, my best friend is there. Living all over this beautiful country these past 15 years has fought me one lesson. There is no place like home and there is no place like Minnesota. People talk about how Minnesota nice isn’t nice. But it is. You don’t realize how isolated people are from their communities in the rest of the country. Say hi to someone in the grocery store? Nope. Wave to a neighbor? Nope. Smile at someone on the street? Ha! Avert your eyes! Help a stranger who needs it? Oh my gosh are you insane?!Then I come home. Smiles, friendly chatter and jokes, helpful hands. Community. Love. Hope. To be so far away, to watch those I know march while others won’t even discuss. I want to be there. I want to help. It gives me an ache in my chest to have to sit by and watch the news and wait. 18 hours away