I “Alaskaed” the other day. (Or maybe I “Midwested” because many of the traits of Alaskans are similar to those of Midwesterners. I spent half my life in various parts of the Midwest, so it probably was a combination of Midwestern and Alaskan influences.) Anyway, I didn't even realize it at the time. As I left the dentist’s office, I witnessed an older lady’s grocery bag split and its contents scatter. So I helped. Her head of lettuce rolled under the car with a couple of cans of soup, seeming to want to escape the shattered jar of pickles. I used my child-in-danger instincts to keep the lady from picking up the spoiled pickles and shards of glass and getting down on her hands and knees to retrieve her other groceries. I suggested she sit at one of the nearby outside tables while I cleaned up the glass mess and gathered the other bag contents I could reach. My quick trip inside the store brought back a new jar of pickles, two bags to double bag her groceries, and a store employee with a broom. He pulled out the things under her car and swept up tiny bits of glass near her tire. In a few minutes, her problem was solved and she was on her way, thanking us profusely as she got in her car.
People talk about Alaska like it's a backward, uncivilized place. When people learn I lived there for 25 years, there are a few things I’ve grown to expect being asked. Did you live in an igloo? (No, a nice house.) How did you stand living in the dark all the time? (It is never dark all the time in Anchorage, but we had short days in the winter and very long days in the summer.) How do you sleep when it’s daylight all the time? (Again, long summer days, but we didn’t have round-the-clock daylight in Anchorage. Room darkening blinds or curtains help sleeping.) Is there always snow on the ground? (Nope. There are glorious summers when things grew profusely. Fruits and veggies grow gigantic and flowers’ colors are more vibrant than you can imagine.) What kind of money did you have there? (Alaska is a U.S. state. U.S. currency, folks.) What did you do for fun? (Same as other places I have lived, but with more emphasis on outdoor sports and activities. Getting a Dairy Queen in Anchorage was a strange social event, though. Cars lined up for hours when it first opened.)
If you are, or have been Alaskan, you come to know people always ask those things. One question is good. "What did you DO there?"
I usually answer by talking about my teaching career, raising a family, gardening, or dogs. You always want to be the first one to drop the dog lover nuggets. Most Alaskans never mush a team, but dogsledding is big in Alaska, though it is NOT the typical mode of transportation. Many dog lovers live in the state. There are breeds besides huskies and labs, even little companion dogs. It’s the place that saying started, you know, “Dog is man's best friend." Sometimes people smile when you say that.
Others I know steer the conversation to hunting, fishing, boating, skiing, skating, snowmobiling, hiking, gardening, church activities, performances at the Performing Arts Center, quilting, crafts, movies, and book clubs.
"What do you do there for fun?"
My go-to fun response is, “We have Walmart and Dairy Queen now."
*silence*
I always wonder if these people just ignore the beauty from the pictures they’ve surely seen or the views if they’ve visited. Seriously, have you ever taken a good look at Alaska? It's absolutely stunning. The trees and mountains are gorgeous. Nature is all around, even in the city. Eagles fly overhead. Moose and bears amble wherever they want whenever they want, stopping traffic when they enter the roadway. Wildflowers, fireweed, and human-planted gardens and pots splatter vibrant color everywhere during the summer while fruits and veggies grow to gargantuan sizes during the short growing season that features 18-20 hours of sunlight.
It’s the people of Alaska that make it a stellar place, though. I've seen cars break down in the middle of traffic and people come to help push the car out of the road. I’ve seen vehicles get stuck in snow and others push or pull them free. You have to hustle if you're behind someone going in a building because they WILL hold the door for you. Drop your card or wallet? I bet someone says something and hands it to you. You've never met such patient line-standers. Someone with only a couple of things behind a person with a cart full will often hear, "Go on ahead of me.”
Alaska has some jerks, but I'd bet most are from somewhere else. Alaskan values are good values when it comes to how people treat each other. It will never be perfect because people are people everywhere. But you can still walk many streets at night if you have to, and you can mostly depend upon the kindness of strangers.
"What did you DO there?"
Well, folks who ask, many Alaskans live a little slower, but that gives more time to be decent humans. THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE DO THERE. Oops. I yelled that. My bad. Let me get the door for you or help you with that spill.
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