Living in the land of Dixie and proud of it!

[princessbelle]

I never really thought a lot about being born and raised in the South and being part of "Dixieland". It's just my world and the only thing i really knew.

In the last few years I have ventured out to other places and have learned some very important lessons in life....some good, some not so good. But, the main thing i've learned is that people are just people. There are good and bad everywhere. It is nice, however, to see other parts of the country and learn about cultures and especially how being gay is actually accepted and better yet...not even an issue to be thought about, elsewhere.

But, when i come home, I embrace the structure and vitality of the landscape of East Tennessee and when you get out of the city and into the Appalachia, for the most part, it's not near as scary as one might think. I travel, with my job, to some very backwoods homes. Some don't even have driveways and you have to walk up hills and down valleys to reach these very remote houses. Plenty still don't have electricity even. It would be easy to look on these people and feel sad when I see how they live. But, it is their homes, their realities and I try and embrace that with the same respect I would going to the home of someone who has been blessed with luxury.

When I think of "land of Dixie" I try hard to not see war and hatred and bigotry. I try to resolve to the people that live here and have lived here their whole lives and embrace the beauty of what makes their world.

It's wonderful to know that "the rest of the world" is open and wonderous and thought provoking. It's also wonderful to come home.