Living in Indiana is generally awesome, though not without its fair share of struggles. While Indiana is clearly one of the best states, all Hoosiers can relate to these common problems.
1. The Tease of Spring
We’ll get a few nice days and suddenly everyone will emerge from their winter cocoons into the sunlight. "Spring is coming!" we’ll think, fast forwarding to summer, shorts, and tank tops. Then of course, the cold creeps back up on us a few days later, causing you to shiver as you defrost your windshields and wonder if yesterday’s grill weather was just a hallucination.
2. Construction Season
Finally, the ice is gone and the roads are clear - except for three or four hundred potholes. Add construction to the mix and you have some road raging Hoosiers on your hands. Worst of all, construction season seems to last until the next winter, making it a pain to ever get anywhere.
3. Sunday Morning Dread
You’re super excited for your small get together for the Pacers/Colts game, Walking Dead marathon, or birthday party when you suddenly realize one horrifying fact: you forgot to buy alcohol yesterday and now you can’t!
4. The Worst Traffic Jams
This might not happen very often, but of course it happens when you’re running late to work, have a huge meeting to get to, and also forgot to make coffee. But, by all means tractor, take your time.
5. Unruly Heat
You spent weeks complaining about the cold weather, but somehow spring finally roars in with a bang, and the humidity attacks any joy you had about the warming weather. Oh, you wanted to wear your hair down? Now today, my friend. You’ll have to invest in hats and hundreds of hair products to survive the Midwest humidity.
6. Making Tough Food Decisions
Living around so many fantastic food options has its downfalls. Indiana has great produce, numerous farm-to-table restaurants, fried foods, ethnic foods, food trucks, etc. Trying to figure out where to go for dinner can be nearly impossible when you’re in proximity to such amazing choices.
7. Getting Out of a Store Quickly
While many Hoosiers love to stop and chat, sometimes you’ll find yourself in a hurry. Hoosiers are just so nice and often talkative that it can make quick trips to the store extremely tedious. Even if you’re not the one talking, standing behind the mom making small talk with the cashier can seem painful when you have somewhere to be.
8. Deciding Where to Go to School
Indiana is filled with prestigious institutions all across the state. From Notre Dame and Valparaiso University to Purdue, Indiana State, University of Indianapolis, University of Indianapolis, Butler, and Ball State (just to name a few), it can be overwhelming for you or your kids to make this choice.
9. The Disappointment of a Band Skipping Indiana
Sure, Chicago is close and Cincinnati may be an easy drive, but the disappointment Hoosiers experience when their favorite band skips their home state is extreme. What’s wrong with playing in Indianapolis? It’s nearly halfway between Cincinnati and Chicago, so why not stop in the middle and let your Hoosier fans show you a good time? More artists are playing Indiana than ever before, but it still happens frequently.
10. When Someone Asks What You Do in Indiana
Um, everything. We can literally do everything. Go to a gorgeous state park, visit a ton of museums, explore caves, go to fairs, go out to eat, visit Indianapolis, Bloomington, or Fort Wayne, go to the zoo, etc. We have all four seasons, access to major cities, rural land to spare, amazing food, and events galore. So seriously, what does anyone in any other state do?
Despite the struggles of our Hoosier state, we all know that living here more than makes up for any hardships. What other common Hoosier struggles do you experience?
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