Long ago, but not so long that it's not relevant*, most of the West was a vast and open and natural expanse. The indigenous people who lived here didn't make concrete cities -- they didn't make cities at all! -- and most of what is now densely populated and heavily guarded land was "free space."
Before there were fences, cowboys brought their cattle across the land, and people largely relied on the ethics of their neighbors for the safety of their families.
There were a lot of things not to love about the Wild West -- in fact, there are a lot of things to absolutely hate about it.
But for someone like me, the idea of The Western Frontier and a whole mess of people stepping out into the sun on the porches of their settlement houses, drinking a tin cup of black coffee and squinting into the brightness of a new day, well, that vision kept me going through all my years in carpeted cubicle farms.
Something new and awakening in this land... I do still believe in that spirit. I believe that the spirit of the West is still alive, and America is still the country of new beginnings. Of people who are moving toward the wild fringes than flowing down the mainstream. Of fresh starts and opportunities.
To me, appreciating the Wild West is also an appreciation of nature, of open spaces, and of grit.
We're glad you're in this amazing frontier with us.
* Hat tip to James Acaster, a great comedian worth stealing from.
