Southern Comfort
Southern Comfort.....So this is the deal here. We moved from the West to the South. I think that it is a rarity, at least where we have moved into, for Westerners to move here. I know, from locals, that a lot of "Yankees" who move down from the North and apparently do not know how to drive. But Westerners, I was told by a born and bredder that , "we don't much know what y'all are!"
Moving around the Western side of America was a change for sure. Idaho was different then California was different then Utah. I didn't realize I was living in a bubble. The changes from state to state, which I found to be big, ain't nothin' compared to where I live now! I would watch shows like the "Cake Boss" and see how Easterners were verbally direct, confrontational, and a bit scary. I was indoctrinated that the Southerners were kind and gentle and apparently slow. All true. But there is more! They are direct, do not do sarcasm, do not do gossip, and do not move fast. I go to some local gas stations that LITERALLY have (and yes I did use literally) gas pumps from the 1990's. There are no egg noodles in the freezer section, no such thing as a good Mexican restaurant, no existence of running into Walmart quickly. They are happy to tail gate you but will not pass you on the road or have usage of honking or the tall finger! People visit. Southerners tell captivating stories. People here call you "hon" or "sweety" or "Miss". "Ma'am" and "Sir" are required English words. They have frozen chicken feet in the freezer section. Moonshine is alive and well here in the South. Finding sub contractors that will show up and do the work well is almost a myth! When you find a good "anything" (doctor, electrician, sub contractor) you book an appointment asap and know you will wait for ages but the wait is worth every penny! You go and see your chimney sweep perform his banjo act at a restaurant, your window guy sends pic of his ancestors during the Civil War, and you worship the HVAC guy who came out and did a great job for less then the estimate.(Note: they mail you the bill and request a check.)
Though your an outsider and you know it, it is done in such a way you feel okay about it. I think that it is because if you are "Southern" bred, you never met a stranger. Infact, my teeny bopper said it feels almost like the movie "Stepford Wives". You aren't sure if they are for real as they are SO KIND and help in so many ways! For example, you go to the self-checkout line in Lowes and more then likely the employee will start a conversation with you as THEY scan your items! Or the Walmart employee who puts the shoes back on your grandbaby as you check out. Still not a local but still treated as if you could be one someday.
They are a tight clan here. You meet people who have gone to the same school as their grandparents and if you whisper a unkind word about someone, they probably dated/went to school/worked with them. There are no secrets in the South.
I reside in an area that still takes checks and cash and charge high fees to use your debit/credit card. People use phone calls over texts. You rarely see teens glued to their phones. You have to remind professionals how to google. There are many "Father to Son" type businesses. It feels very 1990 in so many ways here.
Southern life takes a minute to get use too. I had a moment. Okay, maybe I had more then one. The interesting thing is, I was NEVER homesick for my old life. Not once. I miss my siblings and parents terribly but not once wished I had not moved. There is an overriding sense of peace despite the cultural shock.
I am the outsider. Yet I never felt more part of the "crowd". I raise a non consumed Sweet tea to the South and count so many blessings for living here.
Go and do and enjoy an amazing Mexican dinner FOR me!
It is
Moving around the Western side of America was a change for sure. Idaho was different then California was different then Utah. I didn't realize I was living in a bubble. The changes from state to state, which I found to be big, ain't nothin' compared to where I live now! I would watch shows like the "Cake Boss" and see how Easterners were verbally direct, confrontational, and a bit scary. I was indoctrinated that the Southerners were kind and gentle and apparently slow. All true. But there is more! They are direct, do not do sarcasm, do not do gossip, and do not move fast. I go to some local gas stations that LITERALLY have (and yes I did use literally) gas pumps from the 1990's. There are no egg noodles in the freezer section, no such thing as a good Mexican restaurant, no existence of running into Walmart quickly. They are happy to tail gate you but will not pass you on the road or have usage of honking or the tall finger! People visit. Southerners tell captivating stories. People here call you "hon" or "sweety" or "Miss". "Ma'am" and "Sir" are required English words. They have frozen chicken feet in the freezer section. Moonshine is alive and well here in the South. Finding sub contractors that will show up and do the work well is almost a myth! When you find a good "anything" (doctor, electrician, sub contractor) you book an appointment asap and know you will wait for ages but the wait is worth every penny! You go and see your chimney sweep perform his banjo act at a restaurant, your window guy sends pic of his ancestors during the Civil War, and you worship the HVAC guy who came out and did a great job for less then the estimate.(Note: they mail you the bill and request a check.)
Though your an outsider and you know it, it is done in such a way you feel okay about it. I think that it is because if you are "Southern" bred, you never met a stranger. Infact, my teeny bopper said it feels almost like the movie "Stepford Wives". You aren't sure if they are for real as they are SO KIND and help in so many ways! For example, you go to the self-checkout line in Lowes and more then likely the employee will start a conversation with you as THEY scan your items! Or the Walmart employee who puts the shoes back on your grandbaby as you check out. Still not a local but still treated as if you could be one someday.
They are a tight clan here. You meet people who have gone to the same school as their grandparents and if you whisper a unkind word about someone, they probably dated/went to school/worked with them. There are no secrets in the South.
I reside in an area that still takes checks and cash and charge high fees to use your debit/credit card. People use phone calls over texts. You rarely see teens glued to their phones. You have to remind professionals how to google. There are many "Father to Son" type businesses. It feels very 1990 in so many ways here.
Southern life takes a minute to get use too. I had a moment. Okay, maybe I had more then one. The interesting thing is, I was NEVER homesick for my old life. Not once. I miss my siblings and parents terribly but not once wished I had not moved. There is an overriding sense of peace despite the cultural shock.
I am the outsider. Yet I never felt more part of the "crowd". I raise a non consumed Sweet tea to the South and count so many blessings for living here.
Go and do and enjoy an amazing Mexican dinner FOR me!
It is
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