So there's a new report out about the gender pay gap. Hoosier women aren't doing so hot...our salaries are only 67% of mens! Only three other states are at or below this level. For me it's just another reminder of things that aren't so great about my beloved home state.
People always ask me if I'm going to stay in Indiana my whole life. It's sort of a ridiculous question. Who plans where they will live their whole life? (Ok, I may have just facilitated a life planning workshop this week...but thats different) Maybe I will be here my whole life, maybe I won't. I'm gonna go where the spirit leads.
Most often the people who ask me this want me to know that they're getting out of here as soon as possible, as if there are better places to live. Ok, there are probably better places to live. But if we all leave, what will this state become? There are plenty of opportunities here, but you might have to look harder to find them (and get paid less, apparently).
I hope that with my generation more people will make a commitment to be the change they want to see here- instead of just moving away to somewhere with more/better ___________ (fill in the blank). I think that people are generally the same wherever you go. Maybe elsewhere you will find more like-minded progressive people, maybe you will have more options for nightlife/outdoor activities/employment, or maybe you will have a better view. But there will still be people and events that make you mad. There will still be crime, close mindedness, inequality, corporate greed, and systems that don't function as they should. There will still be nights where you can't find anything to do, and days when you are too busy to appreciate the good things you are surrounded by. So for now I am staying put, and we'll work to turn our communities into the communities we dream about living in.
