southern hospitality

I don't think I'm the first one to notice that the South is very different from the North. Or that New England is a strange little place that somehow exists in a very unique way. But, they sure are different. Let me start with, people in Virginia, Tennessee, and Arkansas definitely merge onto the highway differently. I can't say they are bad at it, it's just different. It took me a while to figure out. While, in my mind, I was giving them a perfect hole to slip into - about 7 Boston cars would have zipped into the hole I left. But, no, down south, no zipping in. There was a strange waiting game, where they slowed down to get behind me. So I learned, to not really slow down - maybe speed up.

The other thing that is different - sex. Never have I thought so much about premarital sex. But, all throughout Tennessee there were these billboards, trying to prevent premarital sex. One had the picture of a pregnancy test and said "Here's one test you don't want your kids to pass". And the website was something like www.waitformarriage.com (but it wasn't that, but it was close). My other favorite had a set of wedding bands and said "The Only Real Sex Symbol". Really?! Now scattered amongst all of these billboards were others for the millions of 24-hour Adult Bookstores, and Sex Toy Stores, and the like. I've never seen such mixed messages.

But, what I can get used to is the "Southern Hospitality" - people are just legitimately friendly. I mean, maybe they're just bored - but they're not bored and grumpy. I've had some great conversations with people everywhere, a woman in the rest area, the clerk at a store, a billion waitresses, a woman who was waiting in line for a sandwich with me, another woman in the bathroom, people in our hotels, people in the parking lots. Everywhere. All the time. They are a'talkin'. And holding doors. Lots of door holding. It makes me smile.