Kansas City has never been more proud – the Royals stand to win the World Series, the Chiefs are having a great season and we finally have something more to brag about other than our barbecue.

I often refer to living in the Midwest but if you tell someone who isn’t from here you are from the Midwest they think of Minnesota.

Ok, so Kansas City could be better termed “Heartland”, which is what I think of when I think of the farm states of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri.

I actually grew up in all four of these states so when I hear the lyrics, “sing a song about the Heartland, the only place I feel at home”, I think of George Strait, my family back in Kansas and the great Nebraska Cornhuskers.

I still visit my best friend in Iowa, who lives out in the country, where corn-fed really means corn-fed; where butter is a staple; and when we cook, we cook everything from scratch or else it’s cheating.

We actually canned this summer and she won several ribbons for her pickles and jelly – all homemade and picked fresh from her garden. Becky’s grandma is as round as she is tall and her grandpa drove the propane truck for the CO-OP, still wears his striped overalls and hat and makes handmade trinkets.

Eggs are farm fresh and never a frozen vegetable. It’s nothing like life in the big city.

Yet Kansas City is still a big part of the Heartland. We are all interconnected. Right across the river, in Kansas, if you drive out West you will meet the Great Plains, where wide open spaces sprawl as far as your eyes can see and you have all the room in the world to make mistakes.

In some places, there are more cows than people.

It’s hard for people who are not from this part of the country to understand the lifestyle of the Heartland. Generally, people are friendlier here and they are more inclined to talk to each other. After staying in a coastal city, I understand the difference in the cultures across America and I will truly say there are upsides and downsides to living in the Heartland and on the coast.

But, with all the commotion about Ebola and the state of the world, I find myself wondering how safe we are in terms of a national crisis?

On one hand, we are somewhat protected because we are right smack dab in the middle of the nation, so if the U.S. was ever invaded, it would take the enemy some time to make it this far. We are not a port city, those are usually the first to be attacked and taken over. Also, if air strikes were to come here, there would be a much better chance that the missiles would be shot down before anything lands here, hopefully.

This makes me take a moment to be truly thankful for my safety here in the Heartland and in actuality my safety as an American citizen. I am thankful for the sacrifices of those who have fought and died for my protection. I have had a nice life unlike many other citizens in this world.

The only time I ever had to be afraid in school was during a tornado warning and not because we were being bombed by a foreign country. This is a peace that many children in this world will never know.

Tornados are deadly, scary and dangerous but nothing like what the children in the Middle East have encountered. I couldn’t imagine bombs dropping, troops invading and the city on lockdown. I can’t imagine worrying if my house would still be standing when I got home or if my family would be alive.

No child should ever have to bear this hardship.

With Fort Leavenworth right across the river it’s nice to know that the military isn’t that far away but it’s also a good idea to take precaution in case of emergency. From what I have researched, the best way to prepare is to have an evacuation plan to leave the city in case of illness or danger. You should stock up on water, canned goods and be sure you have enough for a few weeks.

I don’t think that we have much to worry about here in Kansas City and we are the lucky ones – let’s just hope it stays that way.