Thank you, Alabama, for showing me a side of you I have never heard of.
For me, traveling isn't just about checking boxes; it's about finding the human side of a city. To learn how people live, what they love doing, while I find what I love about each community.
Today I explored Cheaha State Park, a place I didn't even know existed before my visit. Yet somehow it rapidly felt like another piece of heaven to me. It wasn't just about getting lost in the views, but in getting lost listening. An hour-long talk with Mr. Dan helped me reignite my desire to do El Camino de Santiago and the old idea I have of simply hiking the world. “You should do it,” he said. How lucky was I to listen to a man who had paved some, continues to clean up others, and has hiked thousands and thousands of miles all over North America and Europe.
Later that day, as I sat at the bar of a Mellow Mushroom because they didn't have a table small enough for me, I was reminded of how much peace, friendship, and wisdom I find in the outdoors. Father Eric talked about holy ground last week, and I can't help but think the outside is holy ground for me. Whether I believe in God or not. As I hiked and stood in awe over giant boulders, contemplating the view, I was thankful. Tears welled up in my eyes at one of the overlooks because I wasn't expecting what I saw. Yet there I was, standing on top of rocks overlooking the world below and in front of me. As present as I wanted to be, I could not help but think: where, anywhere else in a city, have I ever felt tears as I walked in? When have I ever made friendships and discovered places, made life plans, learned? Only the theater and Spanish musicians have made me cry before, and those were experiences that took me back to a place of love, pain, and hurt.
Yet the outdoors brings me to my knees in a way nothing ever could. As I stood there, I was thankful that I could hike, climb, and bear the gruesome heat that nature gave me.
Alabama was never at the top of my list. Ignorance kept me from it. My son has been racing here for 4 years, and I never got to attend, but this weekend was different. My soul and my gut said I needed to go. So I embarked on a 5-hour drive — 6 with stops — to watch him run in his first race after high school. I did do a bit of research prior and realized I could hit a state park and get a hike or two in.
In a way, I wanted this weekend to be a reset for me, a way to get back to center. My soul has been off; all around me there was too much judging, too much doing, too much complaining, and in the midst of it all I forgot about me.
Today, I stood at the highest peak in Alabama; I spoke for an hour to a complete stranger who filled my cup and reminded me what's important in my life. I drove across a one-lane bridge on a two-lane road; I saw a giant elephant structure in someone's yard; I climbed rocks to see a view I didn't know existed, and I shed a tear as soon as I reached the top. I witnessed my son run his first post-high-school race as he learned the humility of the sport and to trust himself more than anything else. Today, I was thankful my legs could still sprint fast enough to chase him and my heart was beating hard enough to feel it. Today, a total stranger chased me to return my wallet, keys, AirPods, and lip gloss that had fallen out without me noticing as I ran across the field. Today, two young men spent 25 minutes with me, telling me about their running careers at SCAD and the University of Texas, and we all cheered for my son. Today I cried in the car after saying goodbye to my boy for 2 months. I thanked the man who will watch over him, and I reached out to my friend of 25+ years to be there for him.
Today I heard no complaints from anyone, no shoulds, no wishing for something different than what the day gave; today was simply perfect with its ups, its downs, and the way it taught us, and I'm thankful for that!
Today I stood on holy ground.
A special thank you to the following people!
Landon, the cross country coach at Oxford High School, who allowed my son to finish his workout on the track and cheered for him today.
Daniel, the hotel attendant at Spark by Hilton whose shift overlapped my stay by 45 minutes, who told me my name meant “A gift from God,” shared James 1:27, and thanked me profusely for listening, as so many people are no longer interested in listening to others.
Tomas and Jackson from the Cross Country team at SCAD University, who hung out with me, ran to chase and cheered for my son while educating me about D1 athletes and student visas.
Dan, who filled my cup for an hour at the Observation Tower at Cheaha State Park about the trails in the community, our country, and even Europe. Let's hike the world. It should be kinda fun!
Mike at Mellow Mushrooms for taking care of me and telling me Sister's Coffee is a must-try at the Historic Downtown by the Baptist Church.
My waitress, who asked around to make sure I got the local Good People Hazy IPA from Birmingham since I'd rather support local.
The couple who sat next to me at dinner, for telling me about Ladiga Trails so I could bike through different states, Call Coffee in Anniston, AL, and how Effina's is a must-try for dinner.
Thank you, Alabama, for opening your heart to me!