Georgia Magazine - November 2022 - 36

My GEORGIA
By Hannah Perdisci
Heat, bugs and boo-boos
in the good old days
I
recently discovered a rack full of shirts
emblazoned with the word " Georgia " in the
clothing department of Walmart. I jumped at
the opportunity to add to my wardrobe some pieces
with which I could proclaim my heritage as a lifelong
resident of the state. Every time I slip into one of
my Georgia shirts, I feel inspired to tell a piece of my
Georgia story. I'm wearing one now, so let me share
part of my tale.
My story begins in Albany, where I spent my
childhood marveling at the heights
of loblolly pines, naming songbirds
as they frolicked across my back deck, stepping on pine cones
and admiring the crispy exoskeletons of cicadas. I frequently
wax nostalgic and tell stories to my two little boys about the
good old days spent growing up in South Georgia.
" It's hot out here, Mom! Why don't we move to Canada? "
my 11-year-old asks as his brother, 7, nods in agreement.
" Y'all! " I reply. " This is nothing. I grew up in South
Georgia. It averaged 100 degrees every day during the summer.
We played in the heat without sunscreen for hours. I remember
people having heatstrokes at church camp, and as they were
I frequently wax
nostalgic and tell
stories to my two
little boys about the
good old days spent
growing up in South
Georgia.
being carried out, the rest of us kept going. "
" I got a tiny cut! " my 7-year-old screams
on an outing. " Unless you get me a Band-Aid
now, we'll have to go home! "
" Y'all! " I reply. " When I was 12, my best
friend and I ran barefoot through blackberry
patches just to see who could take it the
longest! "
" Bugs! " my boys shriek, united in resolve.
" Mommy, don't punish us by making us have
a picnic! "
" Y'all! " I reply. " When I was a little girl, I
wore mosquito bites like badges of honor. We had gnats flying
up our nostrils. Down in Camilla, where y'alls' great-grandma
was from, they have a festival called Gnat Days because they
celebrate those tiny insects! "
Now my Georgia story continues in metro Atlanta, where
I spend my days marveling at the whale sharks at the Georgia
Aquarium, listening to audiobooks in the car as I brave the
traffic on Interstate 85, yelling to my husband that the energyefficient
washing machine is flooded with bubbles again and
using the " Find My Device " feature on my laptop to locate my
7-year-old's cell phone so he can call his friend on Snapchat.
My Georgia story flows through my veins with all the
strength of the tide-swept, muddy waters of the Flint River,
which flooded my hometown when I was a little girl in 1994.
So if y'all ever see me wandering around town in one of my
36 Georgia Magazine November 2022
Hannah Sills (later Perdisci), 7, plays in the backyard of her childhood
home in Albany.
Georgia shirts-doing my best to teach a couple of wild-acting
little boys to mind their manners and do like Mama says-feel
free to stop and chat. I'll be real polite, because in Georgia,
that's the way we're brought up. I've got plenty more stories to
tell, and I'm always happy to stop and visit awhile.
Hannah Perdisci lives in Dacula with her husband,
Roberto, and two sons, Marco, 11, and Christian, 7.
Georgia Magazine - November 2022

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