I’ve never actually been to Rome, so I couldn’t say if I would do as the Romans do. But I am living in Wyoming and finding I don’t fit in. What’s more, I don’t really want to. I’ve found that a lot of things that are the norm here are things that are just not who I am.
Where to start? I don’t own a single pair of jeans though I’ve worn them in the past. But when I lost weight, I gave my last pair away and haven’t been inclined to find a replacement. I do own cowboy boots because I needed new boots our first winter here and we were still in the honeymoon stage of a completely different locale. Now I only wear them when the snow is deep enough that I need to wear boots.
I recently looked over my long term sewing list, and it includes three dresses. One is red wool crepe and one is brown silk taffeta. The third is remaking a floral silk crepe de chine nursing dress that I made in 2005 but that was always a little baggy (photo here). There is no place in town that I can wear any of them without being overdressed. I’ll wear them anyhow.
I could not care less about rodeo. I have no desire to learn to ride a horse, although I won’t mind if someone takes me for a ride in a horse-drawn buggy. We own a dog but I’m not a dog person (not Wyoming specific, but our town has a crazy number of dogs). I have no interest in outdoor sports and I’m tired of seeing hunting or fishing as standard decor in public places.
I am not writing this in a “woe is me” frame of mind. Rather I’m reminding myself that who I am doesn’t mix with where I am. So be it: I like being me too much to change just because of my zip code!
