Well, let me tell you why.
I was born and raised –and still here- in the South. The South is known for southern belles, sweet tea, accents, the words “ain’t” and “y’all” and more importantly, the sunny yet rather warm weather.
Now, when we say our weather is warm, we aren’t exaggerating. Why not come spend a summer with us down here and find out for yourself.
Actually, don’t! Run far, far away as you can during summertime here.
That is unless you like the kind of heat that’s so humid, you can barely breathe outside and think clearly. It’s the kind of heat that has you drenched with sweat in the two minutes it takes you to walk out to your car and back inside. It’s the kind of heat that most girls don’t even bother wearing make-up or straightening their hair because they’ll just have to re-do it all in about an hour. It’s also the type of unforgiving heat that if you’re naturally fair-skinned –like me- and your ancestors were obviously people who rarely saw the light of day, you will get sunburned just by driving around in your car, even with the windows rolled up. So, if this sounds at all pleasing to you, then please, be my guest and visit the South because it’s where it’s at in the sweet summertime.
On the contrary, I will give the South this. We have some pretty nice beaches. They’re also no more than just a couple or a few hours’ drive away for most. That makes up for everything else I believe. You agree?
Anyways, back to the main reason for this post… (I’m a little ADHD. Hence, why focusing/organizing my thoughts when it comes to writing has been a bit of a challenge. Well, challenge has been accepted and you have been warned my dear friends.)
So, just why did I title my blog “Give Me Grey Skies”?
I may have been born, raised and still currently reside in the South, but I’ve never belonged here.
I don’t speak with a southern accent nor do I really speak the slang. I loathe big and loud trucks (seriously, how do they get in those?!), not particularly a fan of country music and the idea of “Let’s live out in the middle of nowhere.” (That’s for you, Mom and Dad.) Oh, I’m also what you would consider a liberal. That doesn’t tend to go over so well with many people in the South. (Sorry Mom and Dad if this is how you found out. Oops!)
Instead, ever since I was a little girl, I always had big dreams and one goal. Get out of Alabama, move to a big city and see what the rest of the world has to offer.
Above all else, I’m one of those few people who LOVE dreary weather. Absolutely love it! I consider a beautiful day to be one with a forecast of a constant cover of clouds. I’m not sure what it is about it, but for some reason it always puts me in a good mood and I feel like I’m able to write better or just be more creative on a grey day.
Furthermore, if I could live anywhere in the world, it would be in London. When I was 14 years old, I went on a school trip there and fell in love and have been ever since.
So there you have it folks. I hope that explains why I gave my blog its title. (As a side note, the reason for the title of this post, William Shakespeare, London… are you seeing the connection there?)
To sum up, I guess in this weird little way of mine, grey skies represent the dream I have of getting out of here and getting to go explore the rest of the world. Hopefully, fingers crossed, that one day I’ll see this dream come true, even if it’s just for a little while.
Who knows? Maybe one day if you’re visiting, you’ll see me in a small café, sitting in a cozy corner, reading or writing, drinking a cup of tea, happy as can be. That tea will have some sugar and ice, of course. As they always say, “You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl.”
