At the end of December, our holiday visits end with a plane flight into the ochre glow of the setting sun. As we head back West, I think about how vacations are never long enough and reflect on the week we spent in gorgeous Georgia.
The husband and I flew to Atlanta and stayed with my cousin Sonia and her husband in their home north of the bustling state capital.
We meet their tall, handsome nephew CJ. His skin is a deep golden brown, the son of an African-American father and Caucasian mother. My husband tells CJ, “That is the skin color most humans will eventually be.” I agree, perplexed by humanity’s tendency to be divisive over such innocuous differences like skin color.
After visiting Sonia, it’s time to go to Savannah and visit my in-laws. We don’t take the interstate; we opt for smaller state routes and hit an Athens diner for breakfast.
Athens, GA: home to R.E.M., the Drive-By Truckers, a vibrant, charming downtown and the University of Georgia. We read the historic marker at the entrance of the university and its reference to the “War for Southern Independence.” I chuckle and wonder if a litigious Civil War is coming, over states’ rights to legalize medicinal marijuana, refuse national health care, or any other state law that doesn’t jive with the feds.
I never felt far from home, Mexican restaurants and Spanish sub text were abundant. I read the Athens Banner-Herald and its talk about Georgian legislators wanting to adopt similar laws to Arizona’s SB 1070. As in our state, not all Georgians desire such a bill.
As it all gets battled out in the courts, my wish for the New Year is to celebrate the commonality and individuality of humanity, to step outside ourselves with open minds to really understand what drives people. I think it’s mostly about ensuring good lives for our families and friends.
