Hometown Passion: The Power of Purpose in Small-Town America
How Western Pennsylvania Values Shape Community Leadership
Jerry Seinfeld once said, "You can be passionate about anything."
As someone who's spent their life in the rolling hills and weathered towns of Western Pennsylvania, I've found this to be profoundly true.
Finding Your Fire in Forgotten Places
Growing up in the oil region, where rusted-out factories stand as monuments to bygone prosperity, I learned early that passion isn't something reserved for coastal elites or big-city dreamers. The most passionate people I've ever met were right here - mechanics who could diagnose an engine problem by sound alone, high school baseball coaches who treated every practice like Game 7 of the World Series, and grandmothers who guarded their pierogi recipes like national secrets.
When my Marine veteran baseball coach made us run sprints in the April slush because "character doesn't wait for perfect conditions," he wasn't just building athletes. He was teaching us that passion requires persistence, especially when the ground beneath you is muddy.
The Crossroads of the Conventional and Curious
Living two hours from Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh puts you at a unique crossroads - close enough to access big-city resources but far enough to develop your own perspectives. This middle ground has shaped how I approach both my education advocacy work and my explorations of the unexplained.
When parents come to me at Candy Apple Advocacy feeling powerless in their child's education, I remind them of something I learned while earning my Eagle Scout badge: systems seem impenetrable until you map the trail. The same methodical approach that got me through that 50-mile hike in 2001 still works for navigating school board meetings and IEP sessions.
Bridging Worlds
Growing up in Western PA taught me that communities thrive when we build bridges between different perspectives. Working as board president for a community association while also hosting a podcast that occasionally explores unconventional topics has shown me that curiosity doesn't mean contradiction.
My grandmother could quote scripture on Sunday morning and share wisdom about life's mysteries by Sunday evening. The coal miner's son who taught me to swing a golf club at our modest municipal course believed equally in the importance of proper form and keeping an open mind to new approaches.
The Practical and the Possible
When I interview guests on my podcast, I bring the same blue-collar sensibility my dad used when troubleshooting machinery at the plant. Start with what you know. Respect what you don't. Keep your tools clean and your mind open.
This approach has allowed me to have respectful conversations across divides that others find unbridgeable. A Democrat and Republican might disagree on policy, but they both want their kids to read proficiently by third grade. A traditional Christian and a secular humanist might have different worldviews, but they can both acknowledge the strange phenomenon captured on an EVP recording.
Small Town, Big Passion
Passion isn't measured by zip code or population density. In fact, I'd argue that small towns cultivate passion more intensely because there's less noise to drown it out.
When our high school golf team practiced in early March, chipping through snow onto frozen greens, we weren't doing it because we had state-of-the-art facilities or college scouts watching. We did it because passion finds a way, even when the circumstances aren't ideal.
The same spirit powers the parent who drives two hours to advocate for their child's education needs, the volunteer firefighter who shows up without complaint at 3 AM, and yes, the paranormal investigator who sits patiently in a dark, abandoned building asking questions to the empty air.
Your Passion is Waiting
Whether you're a factory worker with a fascination for local history, a stay-at-home parent designing ingenious solutions to everyday problems, or a kid trying to master the perfect curveball on a patchy field – your passion matters.
Seinfeld was right. You can be passionate about anything. And I'd add: you can be passionate anywhere – even (perhaps especially) in the forgotten corners and quiet communities that don't make headlines but make America what it truly is.
So what's your passion? Whatever it is, pursue it with the determination of a Western Pennsylvania winter that doesn't know when to quit. The world needs more people who care deeply about something, whatever that something might be.