this song describes where i'm from perfectly. the breeze blows softer, the smiles are sweeter, the stars shine brighter, and the people are more genuine. and i miss it some kind-of awful. consequently, i've found myself closing my eyes and putting myself on the front porch swing with grandmama playing with my hair and the breeze tickling my feet much more often than usual. and since i can't go home to get my fix of the good life, i'm going to write about how amazing it is and the things i miss about it the most.
this post is going to be cliche. i'm going to cry as i write this. those of you who know me well will have heard all of this, but i don't care.
home is absolutely the most amazing place ever. i realize home means completely different things for different people, but this is why my home is perfect for me:
i'm allowed to be barefoot whenever i want. the most comfortable place to sit is on a tailgate and the only acceptable thing to drink before 5 is tea so sweet your teeth fall out as you drink it. country music isn't frowned upon and somehow the hymns on sunday morning mean so much more. God seems closer when the stars are so much brighter.
i can climb trees and go fishin and walk to grandmama's and get eggs from the chickens down the road and vegetables from the garden and pick fresh strawberries and make pie for the preacher and wave at the cars that pass by the house. mama can tuck me in when i go to bed. i can play catch with danny and rusty in the front yard.
i can smell happiness. i can feel my troubles falling away.
i can swing on the old rope swing hanging in the oak between grandmama's house and ours. i can go swimmin in the creek. i can holler at the folks who live across the road when they sit on their front porches in the evening as the sun sets slowly. at the grocery store everyone knows your name and asks how your mama's doing - and they genuinely want to know.
people understand everything i say - and they don't think i talk funny.
it's heaven on earth. it's the only place i can be completely myself. it's where i'm from. it's who i am. it's so much more than i could ever put into words. it's where i want to be.
