Oklahoma
part three
{This is part three of my Saturday Story “Oklahoma.” If you haven’t read parts one and two, you can read them first for the full context. Here is part three…}
People have preconceived notions about Oklahoma. That’s especially true if they only pass through part of the state. It’s like the old story about blind me describing an elephant. The guy who feels the tail says an elephant is like a broom, and the one who touches the trunks says it's like a large tree. The person who only sees the panhandle thinks it's just windy flatland. Others only know it for red dirt. Some just know it has a Native American heritage.
We moved to Oklahoma from Nevada when I was in the 8th grade. When I found out we were moving, I announced that news to my shop class of around 20 other 8th-grade boys. They all broke out in song. They sang Merle Haggard's hit, “Okie from Muskogee.” I didn’t know where Muskogee was. Neither did they. All they knew about Oklahoma was from that song. No marijuana and no trips on LSD.
The truth is, Oklahoma is much more than most people know or believe. Even we Okies forget what a great state we live in sometimes. Flatlands and mountains, fields and forests, cities and small towns, farmers and engineers, blue collar and white collar. We used to have a car plate that said, “Oklahoma is OK.” That is cute but not true. Oklahoma is much better than OK. It’s great.
