It's too ugly out to post any pictures. The trees are bald and the earth is mostly yellow brown. That said, I do live in a lovely place filled with hills, rivers, and wildlife. I couldn't ask for a nicer environment. It hardly snows here and barely freezes, the summers are sweaty, and the leaves turn to fire in Autumn. All of the seasons are proud here just like the people who reside in these parts. Southern pride is no joke, and being an outsider, I bare witness to it in both horror and respect.
I am a Yankee by birth, my father born and raised in Chicago- his mother came from Germany. My mother on the other hand, was raised here in these hills with solid roots and typical family secrets. She has lived all over the country but came home several years ago to be near her mother. And now I'm here to be near my mother, resolving a relationship that was never very easy. Trying to better understand my heritage and escaping a dull city routine of anxiety and pollution.
It's not easy living here after what I've experienced. I truly am a city girl. I can't help it, it's all I really know.
I am also not a Christian. Yes, my surname is Christian but I do not believe in the bible and never will. This does not mean I don't believe in Christ because I do. I just don't commit to the duality and judgement that comes with the religion. I also don't live to die and go to heaven. I live in the moment, or try, I practice well-being and follow light. I am essentially the same as you and them, we're all the same like it or not, and faith has nothing to do with it.
Christianity is a big deal here. Church and state are separate in many parts of the country and world. Not here, not in East Tennessee. It's a hard fact to swallow and sometimes I want to run from these hills baring my liberal ass, never to look back. But I'm here, and my roots are too. So I may as well try to understand and maybe even accept a little- the culture that surrounds me.
