I Agree With Morgan Freeman

I first became aware of Morgan Freeman when I was four and five years old, watching The Electric Company. I loved to hear the smooth and mellow tone of his voice sounding out words far more than Rita Moreno's or even Bill Cosby's, though I loved them all for bringing my favorite thing in the world--reading--to the television.

As a young adult, I began to respect and admire not only his acting skills, but also the roles he chose and the reasons he chose them. "He will be another Sidney Poitier", I mused to myself at the time.

Now 40, I realize that--thankfully--he will forever be "just" Morgan Freeman. I have incredible respect for the man. For the last few weeks, in the menu bar at right I've had a link to a book forward that he wrote, Why I Call Mississippi Home. I identified with many of his reasons for loving this state as he does.

This is not plagarization. His essay inspired me to share with you some of the reasons I, too, live in Mississippi.

• I have travelled all over the U.S. and all over the world, and Mississippi is no more or no less racist than the rest of it. Those that do harbor racist sentiments are at least up front and honest about it. I'd rather deal with a person who is honest about what s/he believes, no matter how distasteful it is, than those who conceal their prejudice with politically correct terms.
• Mississippians of all leanings are blunt, forthright and unapologetic about who and what they are; if you don't like it, you can go your way in peace. There is no pretense here.
• I can sit on my porch, gaze across 2 acres of lush green landscape that I can call mine, listen to birds singing and frogs chirping, and be at peace.
• I can see stars at night...LOTS of stars.
• I can lay out in my yard watching them all night long without worrying about becoming a criminal statistic.
• I don't have to lock my car in the grocery store parking lot. Better yet, I don't have to lock it when it's parked outside my house.
• For that matter, I don't have to lock my house while I'm inside it. Nor do I have to lock it if I'm going to the store for milk.
• I am far from smog, the frantic pace of city life and the stresses of trying to cope with it, and the loneliness of never really knowing who your true friends are.
• People I encounter are friendly, courteous, helpful, generous, polite, and often extremely funny. They know how to relax and have a good time.
• I am far enough from my neighbors that I can't hear their conversations or their vehicles.
• I am close enough to my neighbors to reach them in less than a minute if they need help.
• My neighbors have come running in less than a minute.
• For that matter so did passing EMTs--when a controlled burn jumped its firebreak on our side acre last summer. They helped us fight the blaze until the fire department arrived.
• Neighbors cooperate and work together to make the most of what they have.
• So do businesses.
• Mississippi isn't anything like the stereotypes I've always heard. Rather, it feels like the home for which I have always longed.
• I live here because I can live anywhere I want to...and this is where I want to live.