BACK in Texas!

I'm back home in Texas! I really, reeaallly love this place. My adrenalin starts pumping and the world gets brighter the minute I cross the state line. There is so much I adore about this state, especially in the DFW area.

Here is just one great thing about living in Plano, Texas -

Today on the way to the post office and the grocery store, I saw a Hindu grandmother of Indian descent. She was walking along the sidewalk with her back held straight and certain. Her long hair was braided in a single loose plait, she had a Hindu dot in the center of her forehead, and wore a brightly printed orange sari. To compliment the whole look, as well as accommodate the chilly weather, she wore a big black, marshmellowy parka and sensible Nikes on her feet! At the post office I heard several different languages being spoken by the people in line and enjoyed the melody of lilting English spoken with accents I couldn't place. At the grocery store I checked out the large collection of odd-looking Asian vegetables, wondering for the hundredth time how they were prepared and what they tasted like. As I was waiting to check out, there was a woman in line ahead of me dressed "Dallas Chic" all in black with lots of jewelry, and a bizzzzaro hairdo in three shades of orange that was styled like the dos' you see in vogue. Her face was tucked and pulled up to the heavens and her boobs...well let's just say she'll never drown as long has she has those buoyant balloons.

Yep, I'm back in Plano folks. For people watchers like myself, this is heaven on earth.

We have a large multi-ethnic population. Plano's places to worship is encyclopedic in it's vastness. There's Christian churches of all denominations with several that hold services in say...the Chinese language for example. We have gold-domed mosques, synagogues and Hindu temples. We have it all folks. I once read in the paper that more than 60% of Plano's population are first generation immigrants whose native language is not English. These immigrants left their country of origin to come to the "land of opportunity". They remind me that this truly is a wonderful country and there is an optimism in the air here that is excelerating. Though imperfect it may be, the USA is a still a great place to live. These people are so happy to be here, some had to really sacrifice a lot to move to our fine country. Me, I was privileged to be born here, so I better by golly make the most of it.

For a storyteller (ME) who tells world folktales, access to people from so many places and walks of life is very stimulating and exciting! Last month, I told folktales at the museum that I needed to relate to paintings of Indian Hindu/Muslim miniature art. I was able to get valuable cultural insight from two friends, one who was from North India and the other from Bombay. I can easily visit ethnic shops, try different foods and watch DVD documentaries from local libraries for research. It's all here.

Yep, I dig this place man.