Just before our recent Spring Break trip to our soon-to-be homestead, I did some research on museums and places to see, and came across an inspiring description of what it is to be an Oklahoman. The five characteristics, boast the Gaylord Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum, are perseverance, optimism, pioneer spirit, individualism and generosity. Individualism is a deeply rooted trait in our country’s culture, and so, in us. Perseverance is a rung on the ladder of the American Dream; something we’ve been told since grade school leads a person to success, whatever that is. We are definitely glass-half-full thinkers, if I’ve ever known any, and generous, in our willingness to teach others things that we have learned for making life simpler and more fulfilling. Aaron has pioneer spirit embedded in his core and resourcefulness and yearning for “the way things used to be done.” I think this whole notion of a pioneer spirit started when I had an American Girl doll, named Kirsten, whose books taught me quite a bit about life on the frontier. My interest in a self-sufficient life style has waxed and waned, but is at its peak right now, as I begin my pioneer life, much like Kirsten, with an open mind and a eye for adventure. Only time will tell if we actually possess the characteristics that make a True Oklahoman.
