Saturday, September 20, 2008

My South



I've been thinking this morning, about how much I love The South. It's so much apart of me, even as much as the blood running in my veins. It's my heritage, my home, and my pride. I'm not so naive to think that everything here is perfect. Far from it. But the things that make it a part of me are not really found in a geographic location. It's a mentality, a way of life. That I will carry with me wherever I find myself in the next few years, and throughout my life. I wrote something a few years ago called My South. Some of it is pretty childish, but don't we all wish we were still children sometimes? I've edited it some, and added more to it.

My South:
*The smell of Sunday Dinner cooking in Granny's kitchen
*Shellin' peas on the front porch swing
*Dinner on the ground at church
*Going to sleep on the front porch swing
*Weddings in the spring
*Swimming in the creek
*Christmas at Bernice and Nancy’s house
*Hiding Easter eggs with my little cousins
*The smell of fall in the air
*The sound of crickets and bullfrogs on warm summer nights
*Walking across the pasture
*Riding the 4-Wheeler in the woods
*Walking to Granny’s church on Sunday morning
*Sunrise services
*Bottle feeding a baby calf
*Playing in the hay loft
*Climbing trees
*Playing in the woods
*Riding bikes to the store to get candy and ice cream
*Playing on the magnolia tree that fell across the creek
*The taste of honeysuckle
*Flying the Flag no matter who's in office
*Standing in the kitchen talking with all the women
*An ice-cold glass of sweet tea on a hot summer afternoon
*The sound of a whippoorwill late at night
*Old gospel hymns that feel new again each time you sing them
*Week-long revival services


In the South, there is a strong sense of family, of pride, and of patriotism. Morals and religion are ingrained in daily life. The people are real and honest.

These are some quotations that really describe what I'm talking about:

"Growing up Southern is a privilege, really. It's more than where you're born, it's an idea and state of mind that seems imparted at birth. It's more than loving fried chicken, sweet tea, football, and country music. It's being hospitable, devoted to front porches, magnolias, moon pies and coca-cola...and each other. We don't become Southern-we're born that way."

"The South--where roots, place, family, and tradition are the essence of identity."

"In the South, the breeze blows softer... neighbors are friendlier, nosier, and more talkative. (By contrast with the Yankee, the Southerner never uses one word when ten or twenty will do). This is a different place. Our way of thinking is different, as are our ways of seeing, laughing, singing, eating, meeting and parting. Our walk is different, as the old song goes, our talk and our names. Nothing about us is quite the same as in the country to the north and west. What we carry in our memories is different, too and that may explain everything else."

"The biggest myth about Southern women is that we are frail types-fainting on our sofas...nobody where I grew up every acted like that. We were about as fragile as coal trucks."

"A southern girl is a girl who knows full and well that she can open a door for herself but prefers for the gentleman to do it because it demonstrates a sense of respect. After all, every girl wants to be treated like a princess. We know how to make sweet tea and grits while telling you everything about any football team in the SEC. We pick our battles and fight with the heart of a pit bull while still maintaining grace and elegance. Our mystique is that of a soft-spoken, mild-mannered southern bell who could direct an army, loves her momma and will always be daddy's little girl."

I think that says it all...for now.

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