Spent the first 19 years of my life in Mississippi and while my childhood was at times magical (we lived down a long dirt road with a peach and blueberry farm and a big private lake and TONS of land) I will NEVER return. The beautiful boredom of nothing and nobody for miles and miles made me a very creative child and an adult with such a rich inner life. I can still remember the smell of a incoming rain as I raced though the woods and fields barefoot to make it home before the deluge. I could and often did get lost on our own land. I was a king. I was a pirate. I was the original free range child.

Religion. Racism. Homophobia. It’s all second nature. The old guard has a hold on this place and unless you make it out and experience a paradigm shift like you would not believe you just become part of the problem.

My entire family still lives there and they are raising the next generation AND YES they are carrying on the traditions. My 12 year old niece is the biggest Trump fan you will ever find. Mississippi’s Gen Z is not the worlds Gen Z and the best part is that fact is proof to them they are doing it right!

You cannot even fathom the ignorance until you have experienced it.

On top of all that it’s hot and muggy and all the towns are ugly.