I am
Southern!
By: James
Bilodeau
1987 was a life changing year for me. My parents had decided
to escape the tourist infested coast of Southern Maine to live
a simpler, more rural life in Kentucky. As it was in those
days, my parents made the decision without feeling the need to
consult me about my opinion on the matter. Shortly after the
start of my 6th grade year we made the 1200 mile move into
what was essentially another world. We left Maine on Saturday
morning and I enrolled at the old Allen County Middle School
on Monday morning.
Middle school in the south was very different from middle
school in the north. The accents were different, the pace
seemed more relaxed, and my fellow students were generally
very friendly. On my first day I was escorted to each of my
classes by a different classmate. I heard the bible being
read over the school intercom to begin the day and I found out
they still used the paddle in school.
Outside of school things also were very different. I actually
got to know my neighbors; in fact I actually got to know
everybody who lived on my road. I could walk down the road
without fear of being abducted. I learned the value of hard
work. I learned how food gets on our plates. I learned about
how to get along with my fellow citizen. I learned valuable
lessons about how to do business by watching the old farmers
interact at auctions. I learned about how important faith
groups can be to a community.
It wasn’t until I was an adult, and moved back to Maine, that
I realized how much I had learned. My first job, upon my
return to Maine, was that of a substitute schoolteacher. On
my first morning, when the vice-principle leading me to my
first class, he said something that I had never heard in my
life…”You have a southern accent”! That was the first time I
realized how much of an impact my southern upbringing had on
my life.
After spending a few years in Maine I grew to realize that the
place of my birth was not truly my home. My home was back in
Kentucky. 2003 became my second life changing year as I
headed back the place where I spent half of my life. While
the south still has much of its charm and friendliness, I do
see a little bit of its identity being lost every day. Some
people are not quite as friendly. Faith groups are playing a
smaller and smaller role in society each year. The pace of
life has quickened.
I hope the south does not completely lose the characteristics
which make it a special place to live. I hope that new folks
who move to the south can embrace the southern lifestyle so
that it does not disappear completely. I hope the older folks
work hard to preserve and pass down the old traditions and way
of life. It is my love of the southern way of thinking,
acting, and neighbors taking care of each other that makes me
proud to declare…I am southern!
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
James Bilodeau lives and writes from Bowling Green, Kentucky.
James earned his degree in Social Science for Western Kentucky
University. James is the author of several travel guides
including Free Kentucky: The best free things to see and do in
the Bluegrass State. James can be reached by email at james@xavier-house.com
