Isms: Views on life in rural America

The 11-year-old version of LuAnn was enthralled with studying the globe in our sixth-grade classroom. Pastel blue denoted water on the curved, glossy sphere. Continents lifted from the surface, outlining rugged terrain. Each country was color-coded, some purple, some red, others green.

I’d spin the globe and, as the air movement slowed to stillness, would place a finger on the surface, open my eyes to discover what country I’d investigate next.

In social studies class that year, my classmates and I used that same method to plan a trip, complete with itinerary, and write a report about the culture, customs and travel spots. The best part, we got to work with a travel agent, who brought brochures from exotic lands. I landed on Sweden, the land of my grandfather’s ancestors and a place I hoped to visit one day. Coincidence? Probably not.

Fast forward to the middle-age version of LuAnn. For several years, I searched, without luck, for a globe for a couple of the grandsons, until a garage sale stop produced a Leap Frog talking globe, offering tidbits of worldly trivia. Eventually it gave out and was tossed aside, making way for smartphones and Apple Maps to provide a world view for the now teenage boys.

A few weeks ago, I spied one in an antique store, spinning in its wooden base. While the areas filled with water were still covered in blue, land masses featured paint in varying shades of green and brown, with 3D mountains protruding from the sphere’s surface. It was a beautiful, artistic masterpiece of the world from days gone by, a world painted in subdued hues of harmony and cooperation.

Years later, I still like to look at globes. Maybe it’s the adventurer in me, wishing for the world. Maybe it’s looking at this oversized planet on which we traipse through life and realizing life truly begins outside of our comfort zones. Maybe it’s a reminder that trials and tribulations, in the scheme of the world, are small and conquerable.

And maybe, just maybe, a globe shows that we can be the change we wish for in this world.