When I saw that I was scheduled to work in Alabama this week, I was pretty excited. I had driven from Destin, Florida to New Orleans about 20 years ago, and we had crossed through the bottom of the state near Mobile. We were in and out of Alabama so quickly though, that I really couldn’t get a sense of it as a place.

On Sunday, I flew to Atlanta and then drove to my training location, which is located about an hour and twenty-five minutes west of the city. When I crossed over the state line into Alabama, I saw a welcome sign that read, “Sweet Home Alabama.” The image stirred up long ago memories and instantly brought a smile to my face. When I was a teenager, my boyfriend introduced me to the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Their songs were different from anything that I had ever heard before, and Freebird, Gimme Three Steps, and Sweet Home Alabama (among several others) were songs that I had played over and over in my bedroom.

As I drove past the sign, I sang the song at the top of my lungs…

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you

I wanted to pull over and get a picture, but I hesitated, because it seemed like such a touristy thing to do. As the sign disappeared behind me, I instantly regretted my decision. Later in the week I told my participants about seeing the sign and wishing that I had stopped. They immediately encouraged me to drive back to the sign after class to get my picture. I hesitated for a moment, before realizing that they were right…every day should be an adventure!

Alabama is beautiful, and I’m here at the perfect time. The autumn leaves are in mid-change, and the rolling hills were illuminated with the color of the setting sun as I drove back to snap my picture. Once again, I found myself singing the familiar tune…

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you

Did I have to drive back and get the picture? No…but I’m glad I did. The words on the sign reminded me of being young, falling in love, and feeling free. Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously. I enjoyed an old memory, and it was fun creating a new one!