These mental meanderings were inspired by this post over at City Saunter.

I love Lansing. If we’ve ever spoken before, that’s probably not a surprise. I also love Detroit, though it’s necessarily a long-distance relationship. I love Flint in the same way. It doesn’t hurt that I was born there.

I live in Lansing, and as we continue to jump through the hoops of shopping for and buying a home, I put a great amount of import on living within the city’s borders. Lansing Township, Delta Township, East Lansing, Okemos, Holt, Mason, Dimondale, Dewitt… all nice places to live, I’m sure, but they’re not Lansing. I have lived in the area since 1995 (with a one-year break in Ypsilanti) when I moved from Shelby Township to attend MSU. I’m hoping to live here at least until all of my kids have graduated high school, and moved on to their own lives.

My cheerleading for this city has been met with groans and eye-rolls from many of my friends and family. I tend to get that response when I get passionate about things. Urban sprawl, public transportation, 24-hour diners, and Transformers are all on that list. Ariniko mentions campiness when jumping onto the #lovelansing bandwagon, and that struck a chord. Caring about things, normal everyday things that we see every day, feels campy, and gets the eye-rolls and the groans.

I think I need to be more campy. I think I should shoot for the groan and the eye-roll. I want to feel no embarrassment as I unabashedly enjoy living in Lansng. I want to utterly devastate the place-hate that seems so pervasive in the places I’ve lived in Michigan. When people say that Lansing sucks, I want to grab them by the collar and shout, “For god’s sake, have you EATEN here?!”

I should do that, without the grabbing bit, because that’s assault. In fact, I should ask all kinds of questions! “Have you sat by the Grand River on a nice day? The Red Cedar? Have you strolled around MSU campus, ogling the scenery? (Read that one however you’d like.) Have you gone to Zap Zone or a Lugnuts game or a concert at the Breslin Center or a play at the Wharton or a convention at the Lansing Center? Have you seen a local band at Macs or listened to the blues at the Green Door? The coffee is as plentiful as water in this town, and it is roasted right here! Have you never partaken of the Paramount bean?”

If you’re bored in Lansing, it’s because you’re not looking. If you think that Lansing sucks, let me prove you wrong. Ask me for something to do, some place to eat, where to get a dose of culture, who to contact to get active politically, whatever floats your boat. Unless you’re a sad sack that’s determined to be unhappy, I bet I can find you something to love in Lansing.

#lovelansing ftw.