I grew up in a middle class blue collar white Christian part of America. People that were different from us were really only taught as subjects in school, as part of a lesson. Coming across people different than us was very rare.

Fast forward to when I was 25 and decided to leave the midwest for Los Angeles. Then spending six years in New York. It took me leaving my bubble to meet others not like me. It took leaving my bubble to discover other ways of thinking, other cultures and hearing other stories that might not be mine.

When I return “home” to the midwest, seeing people in “the bubble” drives me up the wall. They can choose to leave, but don’t. When I try to explain this to them or show them there might be another way to think, they can’t comprehend it because of “the bubble.”

In a way, I’m ashamed of the culture I grew up in. I wish I learned and discovered life outside the bubble earlier. But unlike most people in the bubble, I chose to leave and learn.

It’s easy for me to look back now and see it, but I can also understand how frustrating it can be.