I'm not always fond of the way people in my state see things but I do Love being from Alabama. I am a proud Southerner. Which, for your information, is different that being a redneck, hillbilly, ect, ect. I am Southern. It's awesome. We, as a collective, are nice people. Unhurried, slow-talking, hard working, sweet tea and Coca-Cola product drinking, music loving People. All in all, we are pretty cool. If you look closely and in all the right places, we are cultured, inventive and artistic too.
One of the things that was awesome about growing up in Alabama is that you are told tales of local lore from your crib. In Alabama, we grow up learning from Jeffery the Ghost. The tales of Alabama ghost, Mississippi ghost and a few other states are spoon feed to us, care of Ms Katherine Tucker Windham. I personally lived in 13 Alabama Ghost and Jeffery when I was a kid. And I mean "Kid", like it was one of the books I "read" before I could read. I've been to a good deal of the locations in the tales. I love it. And I love that there are so many other randomly cool things you can see in My State. Looking for Hitler's typewriter? We got it. Just find the Typewriter Museum in Bessemer, Al. Battleships? Yep. Beaches and Mountains ? Why, yes sir. Cool places to shop? Check. Coon dog cemetery? Double Check. Want hot rolls throwed at your head? We have that too. Wanna sit in the same both Elvis sat in this one time? Lucky you, we have a few of those! Wanna see the Statue of Liberty below the Mason-Dixon line? You can see it from the freeway. Ever wanted to be Mooned by the god of iron? Come to Birmingham! We see it every day. Wanna see what the Civil Rights movement was really all about? We have that sad history that, one can only hope, we have learned from. Want to learn more about German POW camps? We had one Aliceville, Al and they have a museum dedicated to it. I can not even begin to list all the hidden and not-so-hidden treasures Alabama holds. We have so much more than anyone really knows. Maybe your state does too.
Yeah, I complain about the small minded people and close minded ideas but we don't have the market cornered on that. So I should complain a little less and realize I am thankful to live here. If I keep searching out the artistic, the weird, the random and the historic; I might just learn that I love Alabama a little more than I thought.
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