On the most friendly of mornings, I wake up solely due to the sunshine softly streaming through the gaps in my window blinds. Today my apartment is still and there isn't a sound disturbing the calm climate of this lazy Sunday Morning. The air is cold so I remain swaddled in blankets as I acclimate to the state of being awake.
Despite my complaints about the work week or my school obligations, I've had a good southern experience, especially on the weekends. The fact that spring began in January this year has been such a treat. Just yesterday I went on a two long walks through the neighborhoods and could smell the aroma of flowers. I could feel warm sun on my skin and I thought "THIS is why being in the South is worth even the most difficult or lonely of moments". It was so warm, I was able to wear shorts and a long sleeve shirt- something that would result in frost bite back in Ann Arbor this time of year. It's southern living in the winter that makes me want to live here forever. The hot summers don't bother me either, I actually like the thunderstorms that roll in every evening in May and June, just to clear up for a lovely sunset before nightfall.
However, I'm not going to deny that there are many things I don't like about the American South and there are many things that will keep me from staying here. I miss the north, I miss the midwest specifically. Before coming here, I never realized how much I cherish where I come from and the culture I grew up in. It sounds silly to me to even call the midwest a culture and to be so attached to this place, but I really am. In many ways, the characteristics of the midwest- kind, open hearted, family oriented, and farm loving- define me (and I hope others would agree). My mother grew up on a large potato farm near a town settled by German immigrants, and that farm town legacy was omnipresent in my life growing up.
My mother made it a point that even if we lived in Ann Arbor, which I think is the most amazing little city on earth, her children would know still need to know about gardening, farming, church on Sundays, and the simple things that characterize the American Heartland. Sometimes I used to be irritated with her about this. I felt like she was trying to make my brother and I simple minded, a term that I came to use for every Michigan person who didn't travel or didn't value expensive things...basically my Cousins that still lived in the old farming town. However now I understand what my mom wanted for my brother and I was for us to have roots and to have a connection to our family. It's easy in our busy lives to spread ourselves so thin that we lose who we are and forget what truly matters in life. Because my mother prioritized giving me her heritage and her religion, I have a solid understanding of what I value...it just took me a while to come around and see how monumental this is to me.
I now see that my mother always knew that my brother and I would pursue an education, travel the world, and seek the finer things in life--it's just what we wanted-- but my mother made sure she could provide something that many Americans don't prioritize because they are too willing to do anything for money, promotions, or higher social status. Sadly I've come to see that these shallow things are a fixture in our American Culture and media. Yet, my mom knew it was her mission as a parent to make sure we received a deeper sense of self such as a strong foundation and the ability to build an honest moral character. My mother didn't want us to miss out on the softer side of life that I've come to realize has given me unmeasurable happiness in my quiet moments, irreplaceable simple pleasures, and a true sense of connection to my family and the state that I love. <3 Thanks Mom for giving me integrity and belonging <3
