Ratings. They are everywhere these days.
Years ago, I don’t remember things being rated at tick of the tock. But now it seems… everyone is willing to give their opinion on everything. Seriously so. There are times when this can be very helpful…. say…. when you are shopping for a new can opener or something.
Today, TIME Magazine published the top rated states in the United States, for Health & Happiness. They have all sorts of measures and criteria for this. But there it is: compared and calculated.
The TOP 5 states in the U.S. are Hawaii, Alaska, South Dakota, Maine, and Colorado. You want the next five too? Vermont, Arizona, Montana, Minnesota, and Texas. How do you like them apples?
Now, I live in Ohio. I was born here. And with the exception of about 10 years, this has been home. Sweet home. I like living here in our home, on our land, in this part of the world. But there are trade-offs, no doubt.
Apparently, there are A LOT of trade-offs. Ohio is near the bottom of the Happy-Healthy List. The Buckeye State…… creeps in at #45. Whoops.
The upshot. You can always take a little trip and get away. Even a little car-road-trip. But here is the problem in Ohio. Any direction you drive… it gets worse. Indiana is #47. Kentucky #49. West Virginia #50. Oh, the armpit of America.
OK. It can’t be all that bad. I mean, we have Buckeyes here, and a big river. There’s a Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame, and a Football Fame House too. That has to be happy, right?
There’s Orville, Wilbur, and John Glenn. That’s sunshine. Cleveland has a good basketball team, and baseball too. There’s a Snake Mound, a bunch of Presidents, and Phyllis Diller. So C’mon. Can Hawaii say those things?
What the heck is so dang happy and healthy about Hawaii?
… … .. uhhhhnnnn…. …… …
Okay, so Hawaii’s pretty great, really. Really, really great.
Yet. Here’s what I am saying. I love my home. My home sweet home. And sometimes, it isn’t about swimming with the dolphins, or unlimited pineapple….
… It could be more about the endless amount of love you might find, at that place you call home. On that little patch of grass under your feet. Home is not so much the place, as it is the “feeling” ….. of being where you know you belong.
They say, home is where the heart is. Home is where you find the love. And that, no doubt, gets the #1 ranking in any land.
(Here’s the article from TIME. In case you want to see where you are, Missouri….
http://time.com/4655836/health-happiness-well-being-states/