What I Learned in Oklahoma: Too Stubborn to Fail

Brandon King is Oklahoma Today’s spring intern.

I want you to know that we are here with you; six feet apart, but with you nonetheless.

Early this morning, I found myself staring at a cedar tree slowly shaking in the spring breeze. Unconsciously, I memorized every curve of its bark, every bird who sat and sang upon every branch, each leaf that fell to the earth. The next thing I knew, it was ten o’clock and I hadn’t written a single thing.

The cedar tree outside Brandon King's window keeps him feeling grounded.

Truth be told, I’ve done this almost every morning for the past month. No music, no sounds—just enough space to think about what’s going to happen today, or tomorrow, or next year. In one capacity or another, I can imagine those who read this must feel the same.

Normally, I’m in charge of writing weekly calendars which the editorial staff hilariously reads on The Oklahoma Today Podcast and posts online; both have been suspended. For our upcoming May-June issue, I wrote “Out There”—our list of upcoming events across the state. This time we had to include a caveat that some of the events might be postponed or canceled.

(Side note: Please call to ensure an event will occur before you drive there. We want you to explore Oklahoma, just not on accident).

I’m also in charge of writing a weekly blog post about What I Learned in Oklahoma.

That’s why I’m here now. Frankly, I don’t know what else to do. I could wallow in the fact that my graduation got canceled. I could use this platform to complain about how I won’t be able to see my colleagues (and, dare I say, friends?) at the office this coming week. I even could cry about how I’m not able to be around those I care about without putting their lives in danger.

Honestly, I’ve done all these things just this morning. Thankfully, I was assigned the “Out There” list for the July-August issue. (Now that I’m thinking about it, I should probably thank my editors for being a mental safety net.)

One thing I have to take into consideration is whether the events listed on TravelOK.com even will happen. After fifty-four calls, I managed to find a few to start the list. I was just about out of optimism when I made my final call. After a few rings, someone at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum & Birthplace Ranch answered. A sweet-sounding woman sounded giddy on the phone. I spoke to her about wanting to verify if the Will Rogers/Wiley Post Fly-In would still be happening on August 15 in Oologah.

“As far as I know, I think we’re still going to have it. I’d hope that this wouldn’t keep us in around August,” she says. “The best thing we can do is hope. That’s all we got and we’re all good for it, too.”

Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, the overwhelming anxiety, or the constant running scenarios about my fiancée or I becoming sick and not being able to pay our bills, but I began to feel tears in my eyes. I thanked her for the information and hung up. I didn’t speak again until my fiancée came home.

Here’s what I learned in Oklahoma this week: Though we can be stubborn at times, we are too stubborn to give up and too stubborn to fail. All Oklahomans need one another right now. If you have any kind words or suggestions of things people can do to lift their spirits during this time, please email me at brandon.king@travelok.com.

Stay safe, Oklahoma.

Written By

Brandon King