The new year is finally here, and with it comes many welcome changes for me. After reading a very special person's blog, I decided that I would share my experiences in 2012 with anyone and everyone willing to listen. While I can promise you that there will be no political stance taken in this blog, I do see the world through a pair of crimson colored glasses. Just like singing in the shower and drinking milk from the carton, I make no apologies about this! So here we go with the first post of 2012.... hold on tight.
What does it mean to be Southern? A question that some can answer in one word, while others, like myself, could go on for days. At first thought, the fat kid in me instantly thinks about my Mamaw's cornbread, Granny's banana pudding, and Mom's country fried steak. After that, any true Bama fan would go back to autumn days spent on the quad, the smell of bourbon in the air, and the sound of Rammer Jammer after the tide puts another W in the win column. It's everything about a country music song (most of them anyway), the dirt roads, the cowboy boots, the sundresses. All of these are southern things, but I'm not sure any of them make us southerners.
More than location or accents, being southern is a way of life that is learned from a very young age, and it is sad to think that it is a dying breed. It's not chewing tobacco, but it is holding open the door for a lady. It's not "daggum", but it is "yes sir" and "yes ma'am". It's respect for your parents, and the traditions that their parents taught them. It's looking someone in the eye and understanding that their word is as good as any legally binding contract. It's not the fishing trip with your grandad, but it's the stories he tells while you bait your hook. It's telling those same stories to your grandkids.
Now the only way this blog thing is going to be worth reading for anyone else is if you have something to add to it. I can name 100 more "southern things", but leave me a comment and let me know what I left out. I'm sure there are a few that I will have to throw back in here too.
It's sweet tea on the porch, Walking barefoot in the grass, the smell of plowed dirt in the Spring, playing in the hay barn, tomatoe sandwiches and a game of whiffle ball with the family!!!!! You are a southern gentleman from a southern mom who comes from a long line of southern goodness!!!
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