Utaaaahhhhh

Interesting the way that perspective shifts. Now that I've moved away from Utah I find myself defending Utah, Salt Lake City, even Mormons. No, it's not so bad, I say. It's beautiful! And Salt Lake City has an incredibly progressive mayor and is a great city! The counterculture there is strong and the community of freaks fairly cohesive!

When I lived in Utah, I would bitch and moan about politics, Mormons, small-minded backwater culture. I (perhaps begrudgingly) recognized and acknowledged the good things, too, but my focus on the good parts has increased and my vocal defense of my previous homestate has grown tremendously. It feels good to actively focus on the good parts, because certainly there are wonderful, amazing things about my former homestate and my religious/cultural upbringing.

Yeah, there are really shitty parts, too. But this is a positive post.

Wrapping my head and heart around the fact that whether I like it or not, I am Mormon, is a long, protracted trudging through subconsciousness and repression. At age 21, I had my name removed from the Mormon (LDS) church rolls. When I got the letter saying, "You are no longer a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," I let out a little whoop. I wasn't Mormon anymore! I lived under that delusion for about six months until I realized that I will always be Mormon. It's part of who I am. Inextricably.

So I'll focus on the good parts. For now, anyway. I had a great time singing early Mormon education songs like "Give Said the Little Stream" and "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" with another "former" Mormon I met after moving to Portland. Actually, I have no idea if those songs are unique to Mormons or not. (Probably not.) But they were quintessential to my Mormon experience. And this YouTube video, though the quality sucks, still makes me smile.