I used to think loving a place meant it had to be beautiful all the time. South Dakota taught me different. Some days it is wind, dust, long drives, quiet houses, and weather that does not care what plans you made.
But this state got into our bones. It is where my parents stayed when leaving might have been easier. It is where we buried people we loved, raised kids, fixed old cars, paid bills late, and still found something to laugh about at the table.
People from outside do not always understand why we are so proud of here. I don’t know how to explain it right. South Dakota is not loud about itself. It just stays. And for my family, that meant everything.
This hex is for the place that held us, even in the years when we barely knew how to hold ourselves.