The Things I Will Do Until

I. Love. Huntsville.

No…I mean, I REALLY love Huntsville.

Like…it used to be my job to professionally love Huntsville and to make other people fall in love with it too, as a staff member of the Convention & Visitors Bureau.

I suppose this is one of the many reasons why it’s so hard for me to see the Rocket City with just a bit of a dull to her shine right now.

I’m sure like you, I hope these current challenges come to an end sooner rather than later, in no small part to help protect and preserve all we hold so dear about our splendid city.

As I’ve told more than one friend over the past few days, “optimism is my coping mechanism”. With so much at stake for our community, all I can do is control what I can and support where I can.

So, with that in mind, here’s my list of the things I can and will do until the other things are an option.

Until I can once again gather on the creaky old floors of Harrison Brothers Hardware, elbow to elbow with my neighbors, waiting for the next downtown history tour of one sort or another, to venture off in any and every direction of downtown Huntsville beauty;

I will visit Historic Huntsville’s website where they’ve uploaded Finding Huntsville architectural scavenger hunt and are soon adding select pages of the Color Me, Huntsville coloring book. With these tools at my disposal, I will explore as much Huntsville history as I can while social distancing like a champ!

Until I’m able to converge on Big Spring Park with several thousand of my closest friends for some fantastic festival, that I will never again complain about parking for;

I will seek out my neighborhood parks and greenways and previously undiscovered or unappreciated spots of peace and tranquility by using resources like Land Trust of North Alabama and Huntsville Parks and Recreation.

Until I can call an emergency session of happy hour cocktails with my dearest friends to gossip or celebrate or complain about relationships, promotions or plain old bad days;

I will pick up growlers and six-packs and takeaway wine or even margaritas to-go as much as I can for as long as I can from places like Yellowhammer Brewing or Innerspace Brewing, The Wine Cellar or Rosie’s Mexican Cantina or so many other Huntsville gems. We shall video toast to how fortunate we are to know these amazing businesses at all!

Until I can plan date nights listening to talented local musicians, we so often take for granted as background noise to our “important” conversations;

I will visit their Facebook pages and watch online concerts and really listen and absorb and HEAR, perhaps more than I have in a long while, and I will throw some well-earned dollars into their digital tip jars and be grateful for the bounty of talent in my hometown. (See Dave Anderson, Josh & Judy Allison, James Irvin Trio, Tangled String Studios Couch Tour and so many more, too numerous to list here)

Until I can force every friend, family member and unsuspecting visitor to spend carefree Saturdays reacquainting themselves with our fascinating museums and attractions;

I will watch online video tours and demonstrations like they’re doing over at EarlyWorks or the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and I will make sure to click that handy “Donate” button whenever I can.

No doubt, these are strange times. But, they cannot and will not change my love for this city. Sure, ours may be a long-distance relationship right now, but I will remain true and loyal and supportive and long for the day when we can be together again.