utah

I recently took a trip with some close friends.
One of these friends is a guy who is outspoken and has an opinion about everything. He doesn't really care if anyone else is bothered by what he says, and he is willing to fabricate evidence in order to support his side of the argument. Most of us are used to this trait, since we've known him for 15+ years. We tend to ignore him and let him believe he's right. Sure, maybe we're enabling him. It's better than listening to him go on and on for hours about politics and pop culture.

We'll call him John.

We were all relaxing at the beach, lightly conversing about each other's lives and recent news. Then, we started talking about where everyone lived and what they were doing. When asked about my current location and status, I replied that I lived in Utah and that I loved it. That I loved everything about it.

Then, John stepped in.

He claimed he would never live in Utah. Oh, the horror.
"There are way too many 'Mormons' there!"
He said it was a vast wasteland.
That there was absolutely nothing to do, recreation-wise.
There are way too many republicans!
Everyone there is close-minded.
The list continued.

I felt myself getting angry.
I felt surprisingly... offended!
I never thought much about Utah.
I mean, I always say I love it here.
But I've never had to defend it before!

Should I have said something?
Yes.

Did I say anything?
No.
I didn't want to start an endless war between Utah and California.

When I crossed the Utah-Arizona border I found myself unbelievably happy to be home.

This is the place.