it occurred to me...

I was looking at the map of the U.S. that hangs over my bed, and something occurred to me. Oregon is a lot bigger than Michigan. In fact, most states on the western half of the country are actually significantly bigger than those on the east. There are only 16 states on the western half.

When I was younger and less traveled, I guess I just thought that all our maps were drawn with some sort of forced perspective. You know, objects closer to you look larger, and all that jazz. Like if you were standing on a giant map, the states closest to you would appear biggest, but they were really all the same size. I'm not exactly sure when I realized that Oregon really is bigger than some other states, and it's not just drawn larger. (I might go so far as to accuse Texans of that misleading stunt, but that'll have to be another post)

There are a lot of childish things you just grow out of. You don't ever consciously stop thinking or doing them. It's only years later that you notice they're gone. What happened to all my little kid quirks and thoughts? Like sucking my fingers when I went to sleep. And thinking my parents never disagreed on anything. And being afraid of worms. And not talking to boys. And playing 'library' with my sisters all the time. And needing my mom to read to us every night.

Here I am, sitting here looking at my map and wishing for my beloved Oregon, and wondering what I'll be doing in 10 years, and what little 'college quirks' I'll have forgotten.

What else will I realize isn't just 'forced perspective,' but actual truth?