Sometimes, I look around my city and my state and I think, ‘Well. Aren’t we pathetic?’ For instance, the fact that we declared a state of emergency for around three inches of snow is slightly embarrassing to my Canadian self, especially when my parents come from Minnesota and Wisconsin as well.

But then I realize that I’m very fortunate to live here. As a person who navigated the ropes of college and came out alive, I am incredibly grateful to live in Virginia. William and Mary and UVA both consistently rank within the best public institutions in the country, and since they are located in Virginia, we as residents residents can attend at a significantly cheaper price than citizens from anywhere else.

Being in Harrisonburg has also been very fortunate for me. I used to moan and groan about the lack of attractions growing up, especially when we demolished the Bull Pen and Captain Tees (my heart still hurts at the mention of their names). But we have two nice movie theaters, a bowling alley, multiple mini-golfing locations and plenty of athletic options. We have fantastic cuisine options popping up every day. We attend a great school where we have many opportunities to further our education. We live in a relatively big town that’s only seeing increases in population.

However, to truly realize how fortunate we are, we should look at some of the other states. My personal favorite right now is Oklahoma. If last year’s musical taught me nothing else, it’s that the Sooner state is a sexist murder-center with sporadic outbursts of dated songs. I think this inaccurate representation is more likeable than the reality.

The state, which is currently 48th in education, recently decided to cut all AP United States history programs, largely due to the fact that conservatives believe the class doesn’t teach American exceptionalism enough. Granted, our SOL’s are inaccurate in their representation of some Civil War generals and their views towards slavery, but I’m thankful that, as a state, we don’t try to erase history when it makes us look bad.

Furthermore, many states, Oklahoma included, still do not recognize gay marriage. Although Virginia is certainly not unanimous in support of gay marriage, we have at least taken that step in the right direction.

West Virginia has, for the past six years, been ranked last in terms of overall well-being among all of the fifty states, and is typically near the end of the education rankings. Multiple education rankings place Virginia in the top ten, but, in terms of both education and simple well-being, Virginia is typically in the middle.

I’m not saying that Virginia is perfect, because that’s not even close to correct. While we have made some strong political strides, we will always be the state that tried to keep interracial marriage illegal. But considering the current situation that we find ourselves in as Virginians, we are incredibly fortunate. We shouldn’t boast; we have a long way to go. However, when we look at ourselves and hate the state and city we live in, we should take a step back and realize how fortunate we really are.