Chapter 5 – “When I lived in Alabama…”

When I lived in Alabama, I wrote a journal that I kept as a running Word document. I initially started it to keep in touch with the residents I had come to know and love from the waitressing job I worked while in undergrad. I wrote every week, and every Sunday, I sent this journal entry to what became quite an expansive list of friends and family members. By the end of my fellowship year, my journal was one of my most prized possessions, all 133 pages of it. 

Shortly after the fellowship ended, I set out to read, edit, and dedicate this journal to all those whom I had met over the year. Some of my fellow fellows helped me write the dedication:

“So many times in life, we don’t realize the value of what we have until it’s gone. That’s not something I can say for my time in Greensboro. From the moment I arrived and was welcomed into this class of Fellows, I knew I was lucky. Lucky to be living, working, and adventuring with a group of such compassionate, intelligent, and inspired young people. Lucky to be welcomed into a community that cared for us so deeply and allowed us to serve and work with them. Lucky to gain a whole new set of experiences and perspectives which made me all the wiser. The people I met this past year are what made the year remarkable. To have the opportunity to meet everyone, I feel so incredibly lucky.”

This came from Sonya, one of my friends and yearlong housemates. Often, in looking back on this journal, I am sad. I remember being especially so when I first returned home after a year away and read over that journal. At that point, I had never experienced such a sense of loss from extraordinarily happy memories. Now, though, I look back, smile, and laugh – how lucky I was indeed.

When I first moved to Georgia, I quickly became known as “the girl who loves Alabama.” I told (and still tell) story after story that starts with the line, “you know that time when I lived in Alabama?” My friends and officemates thought I was crazy. But I am really not exaggerating when I say I miss Alabama. Everyday. I actually manage to visit relatively often, and when I do so, I grin from ear to ear the second I cross over the state line. 

I will never fully be able to say exactly what it is about the place and the state that just gets to me – though I am sure I could list about 23 possible things – because even when I lived there, I could never seem to talk about it enough. I firmly believed Alabama truly was (and is) such a hidden gem, and I am unbelievably grateful to have been able to do what I loved. Every. Single. Day. Sure, the state definitely has a less than stellar history. At one point, we went to the theater to see Just Mercy, and it left me pretty unsettled. The movie, which took place near where I lived, depicted an ugly part of history filled with segregation, racism, and unjustness that existed (and quite frankly, still, unfortunately, does exist) in Alabama up until very recently. 

For so long, I had described my experiences to my friends and family with an air of wonder and delight, but this movie challenged my viewpoint and left me feeling lost: was I being naïve, ignorant, or flippant toward its history? I wrangled with this and the structure of my work as well. Since I worked for a small nonprofit, the other fellows and I existed in a unique intersection of wealth, community history, viewpoints, and unspoken tension. Certainly, I found this challenging to make sense of at times, but I came to realize neither the events that had transpired in this state I had grown to love so wholeheartedly nor the contrast of people intertwined within the bounds of our work was an entirely unique concept. Sure, the circumstances of Project Horseshoe Farm vary tremendously from other similar entities. But the world will always present us with conflicting ideals, situations, and people. Nothing is set in stone, and hidden adventures, joy, and curiosity lie among the potholes of grief, shame, and embarrassment. Our job is to figure out what we need to make of these situations by practicing the perspective to be gained, pondering the lessons to be learned, and embracing the growth to be had.

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I loved two very particular things about Alabama, beyond the novelties of my job and experiences. 

1 Community.

Writing this now – as a young 20-something – I think back on and appreciate the impact community has had on my life: Friday nights at church with the soup ladies, summer days at the pool spent doing water aerobics with the retirees, school nights at the restaurant waitressing with my coworkers. 

The other fellows and I lived in an incredibly small town. Everyone knew everyone – that type of small town. And I loved it – scratch that, I thrived on it. I loved going to church potlucks, playing ultimate frisbee with locals, tearing it up at trivia night, singing my heart out at karaoke, running errands or gardening for those in need, chatting with just about anyone in the grocery store, and being known as “the girl who is always smiling, the one who runs.” 

2 Growth.

Yes, this sense of community brought me an incredible amount of joy, but the second thing I loved more than anything about Alabama was the sheer amount of growth I experienced. From day one, I learned to embrace flexibility; to build community through a smile; to find joy in the gift of good company; to seek out uncertainty; to overcome anxiety surrounding freedom and spontaneity; to let myself dream; to share my love for Alabama; to stay up till 3am just because; to make the best of dreary farm days; to celebrate my accomplishments; and to love unconditionally. Most of all, I learned a lot about myself: my emotions, values, and beliefs; my communication, delegation, and confrontation styles; my ability to adapt, empower, and overcome; my strengths and my weaknesses. 

In short, my time in Alabama astounded me. For once in my entirely by-the-minute life, I lived spontaneously; I embraced a lot of what terrified me: uncertainty. I was in Alabama for a year to literally just live – it’s not as if I had other plans. I didn’t die. I didn’t fret. I definitely stressed, but much less so than at any other point in my life. I made lifelong friends and memories, and I learned so much along the way. By just living. And that was a pretty big deal to me. 

If I haven’t yet convinced you (I am not a weirdo) of my love for Alabama, I’d like to impart just a few of my very best memories below. Maybe you, too, will smile, laugh, and understand a bit of what transpired

“when I lived in Alabama.”

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6.15.19 The day I moved to Alabama! In typical Jade fashion, I arrived a little out of sorts – hair flying everywhere. I was ~slightly stressed~ because I was 99.3% certain my car was about to combust, but I was absolutely astounded by the beauty of the Alabama countryside. My worries soon faded when I showed up at the Marion rodeo and saw legitimate cowboys and then spent the night dancing away to live country music. If I wasn’t sure I had moved to the Middle-of-Nowhere, Alabama yet, this night fully convinced me of such, and I was 100% on board. 

6.22.19 The beginning of our fellowship year coincided with the 10-year reunion and block party bash (I danced 11 miles that night and had an absolute blast getting to know so many community members)! I quickly learned Saturdays were for workdays – you could often find us hammering or shoveling away in the 100+ degree heat, but the sun-loving extrovert that I am, I relished any opportunity to get outside and meet someone new. 

7.13.19 Before moving to Alabama, I had never spent a birthday away from my home and family. My 22nd did not disappoint, though. The night prior, my absolute star of a roommate, Catie, surprised me with carrot cake, and many of the Fellows paraded into our room singing “Happy Birthday!” On my actual birthday, I started off the day with a 6-mile run before a birthday breakfast at Mustang! Most of the Fellows came, and I devoured two of Mustang’s famously massive pancakes. Later, we went to Lake Nicol in Tuscaloosa for some cliff jumping! After, we all went to Mellow Mushroom, and if you know me, you know I am an absolute sucker for pizza (and pancakes, so clearly I had the best birthday). In all sincerity, though, in the days leading up to my birthday, I was uncertain how to feel – would I miss my family? Would people actually remember even if I wasn’t home? (Silly, I know, but you know, just a worry of mine.) This day showed me the memories you make with the people you surround yourself with are the best gift you could ever receive.

8.4.19 Jennifer and I took a spontaneous (accidental) trip to Florida! A year ago, we certainly kept this under wraps, but not now! We went to the bars in Mobile and met up with Reed later in the night, and the next day the two of us set off for Gulf Shores. Somewhere along the way, I accidentally took a wrong turn and we ended up in Florida – whoops – but we made it back into Alabama eventually and had an absolutely stellar day. I had never lived more spontaneously in my entire life. Truly one of the best weekends I had in Alabama. 

11.2.19  I thought I had never encountered a better state than Alabama. Until we all took a trip to Gatlinburg, TN. We arrived pretty late on a Friday night, and the next morning when I peered out the window, I whipped around and exclaimed to Catie (once a roommate, always a roommate, even at AirBnbs), “Oh, I am never leaving,” to which she appropriately responded, “Jade, you haven’t even been outside yet!” A fair point, Catie, but I am here to say that my initial reaction stayed with me the entire trip. We hiked a ~smol~ mountain, saw snow, ate lots of pasta and pancakes, (I) enjoyed iced Bailey’s in the hot tub, explored Gatlinburg, and a few of us even participated in a (guided) moonshine tasting! This trip made me realize I could live anywhere I wanted, so catch me living up my cabin/mountain dreams in Eastern Tennessee sometime in the near future.

11.28.19 An Alabama Thanksgiving – need I say more? My dad came and visited, which was a lot of fun! We had dinner at Jack and Georgia’s (I was hunched over in pain for three hours), explored Selma and Montgomery, and even went to the Iron Bowl in Auburn (WDE)! 

12.31.19 Well, let’s just say what happens in Birmingham on NYE, stays in Birmingham on NYE. Just kidding. We had quite an adventure of a night, one that started with a full day of work and ended with a trip to Waffle House at approximately 3am. Being a pancake connoisseur, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I will say that my buttery hot waffle did not disappoint. (I will also say – this feels like a million years ago.)

2.6.20  Once upon a time, when I still worked at BDA, we had 13+ boxes of onions and leeks to plant. That might not seem like a lot, but take my word for it when I say, that’s a lot of onions and leeks. Especially when it is also pouring rain and 40ish degrees outside and Rojas is away in Mexico. Lucky for me, though, I – and all of my other farm coworkers, you’re welcome – had the pleasure of Lydia’s good company! Though we were soaked and freezing, we had a blast. Later that night after warming up, Catie made Chicken Enchilada Zucchini Boats – they were incredible. 

2.21.20  Go Dawgs! Heyo – I got into the University of Georgia on this day! Though I was expecting the offer, I was ecstatic nonetheless! Later, we all went to a fun Mardi Gras party in Demopolis, courtesy of Kirk. Not every day do we get to dress up and do our makeup, so we all certainly had a fun time doing such and attending a ~ball,~ especially one that was BYOW(ine) and provided cheese + live music. Another fabulous day.

6.4.20  Friendship. I really feel I should elaborate, but never have I felt more supported and loved by my friends. I have never shed so many tears for so many people, and every single drop of water that left my eyeballs was because of the love, lessons, and memories I have for and with each and everyone I have met in Alabama. 

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By this point, I am certain I have taken up more than a sufficient amount of time convincing you why I love Alabama ( / you should also love Alabama). That’s okay – I am unashamed.

But I do have just one more thing left to say –

Do you also have a “when I lived in Alabama…” story?

Embrace it. Share it. Never forget it. 

And if you need someone to listen, I’d love to hear it.