Georgia On My Mind

Over on Facebook, Kallan from The Secret Life of the American Working Witch and some others decided that the DC 40...well...they sucked and that instead of pairing a state with a Christian-centered, dogma-drenched "goal" for the future of the United States, it would be much better to point out the awesomeness of each state from a secular standpoint.  And I was all, HECK, YEAH, especially when I found out that Georgia was assigned the day the DC 40 would bash another religion.

Here's the thing:  as a liberal Paganista, folks are always telling me that I ought to move.  I ought to leave my state and move to Portland or Maryland or Vermont or Massachusetts or some other awesome place of awesome liberalness.  Beyond the snow and cold that would make my husband break down into shuddering sobs of misery, there is another reason I wouldn't leave Georgia:  I love it.

I love Georgia.  I love its history, even the awful parts.  I love its geography.  I love its climate.  Now, there's stuff I don't like, which is mainly stuff that the DC 40 would love, but overall, this place is my home and it's a good home.  I love it.  In FACT, I love it so much, I'm going to write a list about it.  Woohoooo!

1. Otis Redding, the Allman Brothers, The Indigo Girls, REM, Arrested Development, the B-52s, James Brown, Ray Charles, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Shawn Mullins, Outkast, Little Richard, Widespread Panic, John Berry, Vic Chestnutt, Alan Jackson, Kenny Rogers, Sugarland, Tricia Yearwood, Roland Hayes (FROM MY HOMETOWN, Y'ALL), Lena Horne, Johnny Mercer, Robert Shaw, and Usher.  You are welcome, my friends, because Georgia brought you these musicians, in addition to loads more. 
2. Other states have buckeyes.  We have peaches.  Have you ever bitten into a buckeye that was so sweet and firm and luscious that the juice rolled down your chin and made you blush?  I didn't think so.  
3. You want mountains?  We got 'em.  You want rolling hills?  We got 'em.  You want old growth forests? We got 'em.  Grasslands?  Swamps?  Big cities?  Oceans?  Sand hills?  Rivers?  Lakes?  Small towns?  Historical places that will stuff your brain full of good stuff?  Yes, ma'am.  Come on down.  We have your geographical and historical needs covered.  
4. Conrad Aiken, Coleman Barks (my creative writing professor, dontcha know?), Roy Blount, Jr., David Bottoms, Olive Ann Burns, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Pat Conroy, Pam Durban, Lewis Grizzard, Joshilyn Jackson, Terry Kay, Sidney Lanier, Carson McCullers, Judson Mitcham, Margaret Mitchell, Flannery O'Connor, Anne River Siddons, Alice Walker, Stuart Woods, Kevin Young, and James Dickey,  among many others.  You're welcome, y'all.  These writers call or called Georgia home.  
5. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jimmy Carter.  Two of my heroes are Georgians.
6. People say "bless your heart" here.  This is the best phrase ever, as it covers a variety of expressions, from "thank you" to "I'm so sorry" to "you are dead wrong AND bat shit crazy at the same time."  Observe:  "Bless her sweet heart, Michelle Bachmann thinks she has a shot at being president."
7. People also say "please" and "thank you" and "yes ma'am" and "no sir" here.  A little civility can go a loooong way in these trying times.
8. Hello?  Julia Roberts.  Also, Lawrence Fishburne, Holly Hunter, Joanne Woodward, Dakota Fanning, Danny McBride (that's right), Chris Tucker, Burt Reynolds, and BONES FROM STAR TREK.  
9. We have the Fabulous Fox Theatre.  You have not lived until you've seen The Nutcracker at the Fox Theatre.  
10. We have the University of Georgia Bulldogs, who (with luck and prayer and the aid of 98,000 screaming fans) are about to clinch the SEC East this weekend.    There are other teams and schools, but, frankly, I'm not going to mention them at this juncture.
11. Except to say this:  across the interstate from GA Tech is a restaurant called The Varsity, which features the most delicious onion rings in the entire world, best eaten with a PC, which stands for Plain Chocolate, which is chocolate milk on ice.  ON ICE, y'all.
12. The smell of magnolias on a warm May night.

There are a million reasons why I love my home state.  All of the above, plus the memories of my family and friends, the softness of the air, the way you can tell if a woman is from Savannah or Dalton based on her drawl and whether she says "yonder."  I love that we've overcome so much and even that we have so far to go because my children will SEE it.  I love that I can grow a garden in November.  I love wondering if it will snow this year and how excited and nutso everybody gets when it does.

I love driving the backroads instead of going through Atlanta.  I love driving through Atlanta because it means I'm going to see my family.  I love that a river is always just a few minutes away.

I love red clay and kudzu blossoms and flirting with old men at hardware stores.

I love boiled peanuts bought at a roadside stand along with a basket of muscadines.

I love this place and though it's tempting to think of living amongst folks who are more like me philosophically, there's no way to divorce my philosophy--my history and my blood and my soul and my education and my long talks around the fire--from THIS place.  My home.

My Georgia.