If I Had Settled in Montana
A weekend in Montana last January caused me to reflect on my life. I was about ten years old the last time I was in Montana. I had a magnificent time with friends who were remarkable hosts! I kept pondering, asking myself, “What if I had moved to Montana?”
I flew into Bozeman, a college town and home of Montana State University. My friend Jack went to school there and now works as an account executive for a software company. He met me at the airport, and it began an unforgettable weekend!
If only I had moved to Montana. Instead, I settled in Indiana after graduating from pharmacy school at North Dakota State University Fargo.
I’ve always loved the mountains. Why did I not follow my classmate, Jim Vachal’s lead and move to Montana? I don’t recall the details, but he moved to Scoby, Montana, to run a small retail pharmacy there. I don’t know if it was a family or friend connection, but he loved it there. I know the answer; it is more of a rhetorical question. The one reason I did was the ease of getting a pharmacy job. So many friends and classmates moved to Indiana to work for SupeRx Drugs, a chain at the time that was part of Kroger, the nation’s largest grocery chain.
Indiana is a pleasant state, and I like it here, but it’s still nothing like the Rocky Mountains. Indiana has beautiful state parks, rolling hills in southern Indiana, and sandstone ravines that provide the state with beauty. Northern Indiana has a chain of spring-fed lakes that reminds me of my Minnesota roots.
Of course, everyone knows of the Indianapolis 500, the greatest spectacle in racing. If you are a race car fan, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts a NASCAR event and a Sports car race. NHRA U.S. Nationals take place in Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend. But I’m not a big race car buff.
If I hadn’t moved to Montana, I guess I could have moved to Wyoming, maybe Idaho, or Colorado, but I still think Montana is the most attractive. When I was a kid, family vacations were to Wyoming to see Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton, Glacier National Park, and Banff National Park in Canada.
Dad drove across North Dakota, Montana, and the Idaho panhandle to Seattle one year. Mount Rainier impressed me. I also saw Puget Sound, The Space Needle, and other sites. Still, Montana was always my favorite.
Then there are the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mount Rushmore, and the beginning of the Crazy Horse sculpture. I keep thinking of all the states I’ve visited, young and old, but the biggest lure is Montana.
I still remember many towns: Bozeman, Missoula, Billings, Miles City, Havre, Libby, Anaconda, Whitefish, Butte, Kalispell, and Shelby. But of course, I liked the towns in the mountains. Reflecting on this, I probably would have strived to find work in cities around Glacier National Park. Whitefish and Kalispell would be my favorite choices.
What would I have done when I found out I got bored with pharmacy, the tediousness of the profession with little opportunity for creativity? In the 1970s and early 1980s, Montana did not have as many opportunities for biomedical sales. If I were to land a sales job, I would have a much larger territory geographically than in Indiana because of the lower population and fewer account possibilities.
Still, with my determination and persistence, I would land a sales position calling on hospitals, Montana’s two major universities, and businesses in the state.
Software was only beginning to take off, and the use of computers was more prevalent. I could have become a software sales representative as healthcare began to go digital, as nearly all businesses did. Reflecting, I think I would have made a go of it in Montana being a sales representative. What products or services I would have sold is hard to tell. Pharmaceuticals, medical devices, software, professional services? While I may be uncertain about some things, I am confident that I would have discovered a new career and found a way to escape the mundane routine of pharmacy.
Whatever sales career that I carved out for myself, I still would find myself finding writing. Like in Indiana, I would find myself offering book reviews, helping write product descriptions, and contributing to the company newsletter.
I would embrace the outdoors and take in all the splendor of Big Sky country. Who knows, but Montana’s beauty could easily inspire me to write about my outdoor experiences.
While working as a pharmacist and later starting a sales career, I found ways to embrace and savor the beautiful outdoors of Montana. I would take up fly fishing for trout. I would enjoy hiking in the mountains. I could see myself learning about mountain climbing. Big game hunting, I do not know. I did not do much of that when I lived in Minnesota. But still, my new friends could easily entice me to venture out and try it.
I would discover what kind of birds to hunt in Montana. I’ve duck hunted before, but that does not excite me much. The best time to go duck hunting is on a cold and rainy day because the ducks fly low then. I would be standing in a lake or stream, waiting for ducks to fly over while soaking wet. Where is the fun in that? But standing in a river in July or August, fly fishing would quickly become a passion.
The whole science and art of fishing for trout would pique my interest. How fun it would be to create my trout flies. I know the technical aspects of rods, reels, lines, and all the gear required to venture fly fishing. Then, one learns what trout eat at certain times of the year so that one may match the right bait or flies at that specific time of year to catch trout.
I loved fishing in Minnesota. Fly fishing would be my new favorite way to fish, but I still would want a boat and go fishing on a lake, catching bass, walleyed pike, crappies, and hopefully a brown or lake trout.
If I were not working or skiing in winter, I would enjoy making flies for my spring and summer pastimes.
How could I forget skiing? I love to ski! I skied in Minnesota and Michigan as a teenager and in my early 20s. That is not the same as skiing in the mountains! I remember going to Colorado to ski while attending North Dakota State. Those were adventures that I never told my parents about. I had a great time with friends, and I cherish and fondly remember those memories today! Skiing would be a significant part of my winter activities. Then, I would discover snowboarding. I know I would check that out. I believe anyone who makes a home in Montana inevitably becomes an outdoorsman. How can one not?
A career in Montana could quickly evolve into grant writing, some other nonprofit work, or perhaps working at a hospital but finding a way to change roles. My determination and dreams would have still brought me to a fulfilling career in Montana.
I don’t have any regrets about living in Indiana. It’s a beautiful state, and Indianapolis is a wonderful city. However, I embrace the outdoors and love hiking, the scenery, and the beauty of the mountains. It would have been so much better to have lived there.
As I aged and settled into a writing career in Montana, the lure of academia and what a college town offers would make me find myself living in Bozeman or Missoula. I visited my college towns in the Midwest; they are all great cities. Ideally, I would like a lake home. I would research the best lake areas near Bozeman and the best lake for a home.
But I’ve embraced Indiana. It possesses its unique beauty: rolling hills in southern Indiana and gorgeous state parks with waterfalls, caves, and sandstone quarries. Turkey Run has hiking trails to take in the beauty of deep ravines. Northern Indiana reminds me of my roots in Minnesota because of a chain of lakes.
Academically, it’s beautiful; Indiana University boasts a top-notch business school and arguably the best music school in the country. Indiana is a biotechnology hub in the country, the third leading state of biotechnology exports. There are a lot of things going on in the state of Indiana. It is not the mountains, and it’s as simple as that. I’ve embraced Indiana, and I love the Hoosier state. I’m proud to be an Indiana resident, but what would my life be if I had carved out a career in Montana instead of Indiana?
