My South

Found this idea on another blog, Loriloo. She describes My South.

My personal South is mainly a childhood thing. My grade school pal, Paul Huffington, used to live on an honest-to-murgatroid farm. During high school the Huffingtons sold it, and the new owners turned the land into a couple dozen condos. Much of My South appears pre-condos.

However, I also went to college in Birmingham, Alabama, so I know there's still plenty South up for grabs.

My South involves:

• Cutting through other people’s back yards when you walk somewhere, and sometimes the people who own those yards stop you just to talk.
• Getting into a short conversation with the person behind the counter at the fast food joint.
• A constant, seductive mix of graciousness and passive-aggression.
• Talking about church and not feeling everyone in the room shift one millimeter away.
• A basic assumption that the weather will be nice.
• Allergies.
• Relaxing a little because people tend to take it easy on you.
• When you step on other peoples’ feet, they apologize too.
• Beat-up cars in people’s yards.
• Occasionally deciding to use simpler words.
• Great barbecue.
• Long drives through grassy land.
• Riding in the back of the pick-up because it’s fun, and no one wastes air telling you how unsafe that is.
• Lovely women everywhere, especially at college. Not plastic-surgery pretty like in California. Just lovely.
  
• People who know local history. Like, seriously. It’s important.
• Looking strangers in the eye and smiling at each other.