Living in Alabama

            Have you ever heard the expression “Alabama the Beautiful”?  I think there is no truer expression in the world.  Still there are bad and good things about living in the beautiful state of Alabama.

            To begin with living in Alabama is great because it is a state filled with many friendly people.  Everyone waves as they pass you in cars or on the street.  Alabama people smile and say, “How are you?”  The people in Alabama are very courteous and care about their neighbors.  What is bad about that?  Well, if you live in Alabama and you go out of state it is hard to get adjusted to the out-of-state people.  For example, if you went to New York City and waved at someone near Times Square, they would probably look at you like you were insane.  Other states just aren’t as friendly, so you run the risk of looking a little nuts when you travel out of state.  That’s one bad thing about living in the state of Alabama with all its southern hospitality.

            Also, a wonderful thing about living in Alabama is that we have delicious food.  It is known for its simplicity and southern flavor.  No one can deny that a good home cooked meal can’t be found in many other places than in our great state.  For example, no other state can measure up to our delicious fried catfish and flaky hushpuppies.  It’s enough to “make your tongue slap your brains out,” as my Grandma Stewart used to say.  The only bad thing about our down home cooking is that you can’t find it anywhere else in the world.  That makes it tough if you are going somewhere else and get the sudden urge to eat a great southern meal.  You just can’t find Alabama cooking anywhere else.

            In addition to the friendly people and the delicious food of Alabama, there is also the great slow pace that the southern states are known and loved for.  You know what I mean, there is no hustle and bustle in the great state of Alabama.  There are no underground subways, L-trains, six lane freeway traffic, or skyscrapers that huge cities have acquired.  The south has its own easy way of living that is great and has a calming effect on all of its residents.  The only bad thing about this slow pace is that it makes you feel like a country boy when you travel to big city.  It can also make you feel like you’re out of the loop when you travel to huge cities like Atlanta or Dallas.  Traveling in a big city like that can make you feel like you have missed out on something, but really you haven’t.  A person from those places wouldn’t be able to handle coming to a place without all of that craziness known as big city life. 

            So you can see there are good things and bad things about living in “good ole” Alabama.  I think the good things outweigh the bad.  As my favorite song says, “Sweet Home Alabama, Where the skies are so blue, Sweet Home Alabama, Lord I’m coming Home to You!”  There’s just no other place like our great state!