Dr. Tracy Smith Coaching and Consulting

I am from yard sales and the Goodwill Store, buying second-hand treasures with my own money.

I am from hush puppies and coleslaw, biscuits and gravy, and corned beef hash, made from secret family recipes in the kitchens grandmothers and family-owned fish camps and barbeque restaurants.

I am from pride, hard work, and independence.

I am from shot gun and common law unions, where spontaneity and putting things off were equally valued, but planning seldom happened.

I am from Farrah Fawcett hair, blue eye shadow, and Bonnie Bell bubble gum lip gloss – in a time when I longed to own skin tight Calvin Kleins or Levi’s and canvas Nikes with a light blue swoosh (though no one knew at the time it was called a swoosh).

I am from Hudson Hornets – where dressing out meant green shorts and a white t-shirt that I had to share with a friend.

I am from handwritten notes to friends – with curly ques and ♥s and BFF and LYLAS, carefully and craftily folded and then exchanged between classes.

I am from a world that was “a little bit country” and a “little bit rock n’ roll,” where Jimmy Buffet, the Eagles, Skeeter Davis, Bob Seger, and Willie Nelson spun on the turntable and blasted from the speakers while the dusting and laundry were done.

Regrettably, I am from Grease and Urban Cowboy and Saturday Night Fever.

I am from yard dogs with sophisticated names – wiener dogs with polysyllabic German names and chows with names that Chinamen might envy. Canines with international heritage were the only diversity of my youth.

I am from early first jobs at Odum’s, Tim’s Discount Foods, Shoney’s, and Mister Omelet.

I am from people with names like General and Gladys and Vernice, names my parents avoided when they gave me a popular, non-gender specific name – at least it was popular then.

I am from textile workers, truck drivers, real estate agents, and small-town entrepreneurs.

I am from Cajah’s Mountain, where everyone knew the town mayor, the town gossip, and the town drunk…and sometimes they were the same.