“You see son those fancy degrees that you have are all good and well, but in Alabama they don’t mean as much as the “nod and the wink”. Son its all “nod nod wink wink.” By now I was completely confused and responded with “pray tell”. He said, “Listen son, Now this is the Law of Alabama—as old and as true as the Alabama sky; and the man that shall follow it may succeed, but the man that shall break it must fail. As the bird that fly east and west the Law runneth forward and back—For the strength of the Nod is the Wink and the strength of the Wink is the Nod.” 

I went through several years in Alabama dismissing the advice from the old man and repeatedly beat my head against the wall in frustration. I reached a point and decided that perhaps I should listen to the old man’s advice. I started practicing my nod and my wink in front of my bathroom mirror and the rest is history! (It is all about the relationships we build!)

 In the words of my dad, “You must honor the chair whether it is sitting, walking or lying down.”