People Along the Way----Hey!

There is a certain charm to the South that I am sure exists in other regions, but I can only comment about the people and customs that I love so dearly. 

I enjoy talking to people. Especially strangers. I am glad that I live in a very southern state, as it is a way of life with us in Alabama. I am not sure I would be greeted with the same enthusiasm in northeastern metropolis settings, although my dad once said that his relatives in Pittsburgh would pay money to hear me talk. I have probably the most pronounced southern accent in our family and can really turn it on, depending on the crowd.

Unique to the South is the number of ways we say hello, whether we know people or not. Some are simply nonverbal, for instance, the old farmer in his pickup, slowly meandering on an unlined country road, will always stick his index finger straight up in the air from his right hand, held at the 2 o'clock position on the steering wheel as you pass. You should return the courtesy, even if you are in a Lexus.

An interesting phenomenon that I have picked up on is with older black men that I think is pretty cool. Some will say, 'Alright!' or 'Pretty good.' even before you ask them, 'How are you doing today?'  I have been known to say 'Alright' myself at times. 

But most of the time, I will enter into a sometimes lengthy discourse with people; many that I will never encounter again on this earth. That is what makes it so special to me.

There is the 'last word' guy--I ran into one of them the other day walking into WalMart. He was filling the underground gas tanks at the service station.
"Hey how's it goin'?" I ask. 
"Tired. But not too tired to work." 
 "I hear ya!" 
"Gotta work ya know." 
"I know the feeling." 
"I'll be done in a few and will head to the house!" 
"Oh yeah!" 
"Probably get me a beer or two." 
"You deserve it! Take it easy!" 
"You too. Buy some of this gas!" 
"I'm heading in there now!" 
"We make some good 87 octane!" 
"I'll get some!" 
"OK, you take care." 
"Will do!"
"Nice talking to you!" 
"You too!" I said. 
"See you later!" 

So I just wave, but he waves back. 
"Nice talking to ya!" he says.

Of course, besides the word 'y'all', the universal word in the South is 'hey'. Now in other parts of this great land, 'hey' is meant to get someone's attention and I have heard that it can be even said in a way that is rude. Not so in the South. And when it is drawn out into a two syllable word, (Hay-ee) it is truly a warm term of endearment.

I was on the road today and always love to stop in convenience stores for my 'road warrior' Diet Mt Dew. Today, I met a farmer at the fountain machine and before it was over, he had reviewed his entire morning; his water line to his cattle trough had a break in it and he had repaired it and decided to 'come to town' (I suppose 'town' was the convenience store in the middle of nowhere) to get some chicken fingers and a Coke. Oh, and there is that thing of the female clerks calling me 'honey, sugar, or baby.' And we think nothing of it, nobody gets their nose out of joint. This is why I love living here.

I suppose though, all of these unique greetings and conversations  wouldn't happen if people didn't talk to one another. Real live conversations. People deciding to say 'Hey!' to a perfect stranger. It makes life good in the Deep South.