How to Get a Good Nights Sleep

By Vickie Griffin © 2015

Online: February, 2015

The Brown family of Dahlonega, GeorgiaHello, I am Vickie Griffin formerly Vickie Brown from Dahlonega, Georgia.

Appalachian is more than a lifestyle, it's a state of mind. Now mind you growing up I didn't always appreciate my roots but I do now. I was born on April 2, 1958, the ninth out of ten children to Ben and Emma Brown. When I was growing up until I started school I actually thought everyone lived as we did. You see we had an outside bathroom, no inside hot water, we did have a spigot but it was cold only. Most of our dresses were made from pretty flowery, flour sacks; usually I went barefoot all summer. That was because I usually got a pair of shoes before school started unless my sister had a pair to hand down to me. I had one sister born 4 years after I was and 8 other siblings besides me and Regina; five boys and five girls.

I had a brother that was 25 years old when I was born. Can you imagine the rude awakening I had when I started school, I talked different, dressed differently, acted differently, and was indeed different than most of my school class mates.

A Cleveland, Georgia sunset.The worst and funniest experience was when I was in second grade, my teacher asked the whole class, what would be a good thing to do before going to bed to help you relax and sleep good at night. Why I was so excited to raise my hand; I know, I know, Mrs. Satterfield I replied, "eat an onion before you go to bed, My Mama always tells me if I do that before I go to bed at night I sure will sleep good." From the ghastly look on Mrs. Satterfield's face I don't think that was exactly what she had in mind.

The picture I'm including is of a sunset on December 2, 2014 in beautiful Cleveland, Georgia. You know Appalachia is more than a location, it's a state of mind, and myself, I find beauty in these beautiful North Georgia Mountains. I even find beauty in eating an onion before I go to sleep; just so I will sleep really good. Wink. Wink.