Repost: Being from Boston

I first posted this after the bombing of the Boston Marathon. But with many friends stunned at my interest in this year’s World Series, I thought I’d repost. Go Sox!

From April 2013:
I'm originally from the Boston area.  It's my home turf and territory.  I grew up going on the swan boats with my nana, knowing that an ant is a thing that crawls on the ground (NOT your relative), and taking the T to Faneuil Hall with my high school friends.

When I moved to the midwest as a young adult, I found myself often explaining the idiosyncrasies of Bostonians to my new friends.  Why Bostonians are crazy drivers (and why rotaries are everywhere),  why "he-ah" is the opposite of "they-ah", why a "cah" is a thing you drive, and why an "idear" is a thought you have.  Oh-- and why "hamburg" is ground beef, and it doesn't become "hamburger" until it's made into a patty.  (Hey, I might not have the accent, but I still hold by the hamburg rule!)

Twice since I came to the midwest I have struggled to explain, not just the language or quirks of Boston, but the heart of Boston.

The first time was when the Red Sox won the world series for the first time.  My husband, who knows I am not a sports fan and barely know what sport is in season, was absolutely stunned to watch me dance around the living room laughing and crying at the end of game 7.  "Who are you?" he asked in quiet terror.  Ah... how to explain?  That game was less about sports than it was about... history.  Culture.  Life.  The best I could do was tell the story of my grandfather, who was a die-hard Sox fan from the time he emigrated to this country as a young man until the day he died... and never saw his beloved team win the world series.  Winning the world series?  That was the good times for those of us from Boston.

And now... I find myself again trying to explain the heart of Boston.  But today it is with a heart of grief rather than joy.  My midwestern friends are appalled by what happened in Boston.  They understand that the bombing of the marathon means that "nowhere is safe."  But... I struggle to explain the significance of The Marathon.  Yes, a bombing is a terrible thing.  Yes, it means that nowhere is safe.  But the bombing at The Marathon is so much more than these two things.

The Boston Marathon is part of the fabric of Boston.  My mom today remembered her dad bringing her in to see The Marathon every year when she was little.  I - who pay no attention to sports - grew up knowing when and where The Marathon was.  I was proud of The Marathon, as it brought in the best athletes from all over the world.  The Marathon is a marker of spring in the city.  It is an occasion to come together, to be proud, to celebrate.  The Marathon is even part of the language of Boston.  You know what (and where) "heartbreak hill" is.  You know what it means to "pull a Rosie Ruiz".

And now The Marathon is forever changed.

There's one way I've found to help my Minnesota friends understand the significance of the bomb going off at The Marathon.  I've told them that it would be like a bomb going off at the State Fair.  When I explain that, the look in their eyes changes.  They understand that it's not just about "nowhere is safe" anymore.  Instead, it's about that place that helps define your area, your people, your culture, being violated.

And when they understand that, I think we all grieve just a bit more.