Yes, Texas is different




 

 

It is safe to say that the citizens of the other 49 states cannot compete with Texans when it comes to the pride we have in our state. That is not without good reason.

If ever a state could brag that it had it all, Texas certainly would fit that definition. Do your tastes involve being in the tall piney woods, we have that. Beaches…got em’. Mountains or desert? No problem. The only thing we sometimes lack is a way to get from point A to point B quickly, but 75 or 80 mph speed limits in certain places even help shorten our drive time these days.

I get to look at this great state with a different perspective. I have to come clean with you….I was not born in Texas. I was raised in the sun and sand of Florida, but now that I have spent the better part of two decades making this state my home, I too have come to know why native Texans exude such pride in being sons and daughters of the most impressive of the 50 states.

I have been fortunate to get to travel around this country. And whether I am in Washington DC or New York City…Los Angeles or Miami, when people find out you live in Texas, the conversation changes. Inevitably one eyebrow raises and at least two or three questions follow. Whether a Californian asks if we all ride horses or a New Yorker wants to know if everyone carries a pistol, (Answers: 1. Not all of us ride…at least not everyday 2. Pretty much everybody carries a gun…isn’t that the norm?), I have come to expect that the curiosity of those from lesser states will sprout up once they know someone from Texas is in the room.

This air of superiority is not undeserved. I cant think of anywhere else with a heritage or history as rich as Texas. And to steal a line from Chad Prather, “Unlike those of you from Maryland, when people hear you are from Texas, they never ask ‘Where is that?’”

When folks ask if you have ever met a real Texas Ranger (Sure…had coffee with one today) or have you ever got to visit the Alamo (Well, of course, we can even go grab some BBQ right across the road from it this afternoon if you like!), you start to realize that Texans are a special breed, cut from a different cloth. We still teach our young men to open doors for ladies. Our kids say “Yes sir” and “ Yes ma’am” and many of us still pull to the side of the road when a funeral passes.

Some may say we are throwbacks. Clinging to a different time when standards and morals were not what they are today. What do I say? Nah, we are just from Texas…we do things a little different here.

The bumper sticker says: “I was not born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!” Truer words were never spoken.

Speaking on behalf of us folks who didn’t start our life here, but plan on finishing it here, thanks for bringing us into the fold. This is no doubt God’s country… and there is no place we would rather be.

Until next time,

ERIC KAISER is the Chief of the Jourdanton Police Department and is a Master Texas Peace Officer.


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