I'm from the South...east

So I've been talking to some people comparing cultures and ideas. We could all be white and Mormon and still have a million differences. And apparently we can still be in the same family...

BUT either way, who we are is much of where we came from. I have always been scared of that idea. Not because I didn't have a great upbringing, but because there are those family traits you wouldn't mind hiding under the bed. So yes. you can change. You can change your generation, but whether you like it or not, you've been shaped and molded to think a certain way, and unless you really want to change it...it's not going to happen.

I didn't realize people from the south were that different, until I realized not everyone has to know each others business. That we don't have to talk about everything that comes to mind. Until I realized boiled peanuts could be considered weird. Until I realized the confederate flag was something people thought didn't exist anymore. And who thought ya'll wasn't a better way to communicate to a group of people. I still think fried squash is the best vegetable and fried chicken is very much a black thing. Some people don't even know black people. Until ghetto was definitely misunderstood and fried was an option. Until I realized that people didn't wave back or say hello when you passed them on the sidewalk. Until I realized some things people just don't talk about, and that hugs and closeness was something that made people a little uneasy, including people you know. And the idea that you would tell someone something that isn't true just because it's polite is like...um not my thing.

I still wouldn't want to change any of that. I like being close to people. I like acting as if I've known people forever. That we can hug and just be friends. I like allowing for retarded moments, even if the joke is told every family reunion. I like calling people out on the obvious and accepting life's good and bad moments. I like waving to the car that passes or saying hello to the person next to me. I like the homey "everyone is welcomed" feeling, and not the isolated "i've got enough friends" feeling. I like that boys are raised to hold the door and say yes'mam. I like talking about your business and mine. I like that we can still be friends even after you're a jerk. I like that you'd watch my yard and I yours. When you need some sugar or a trip to the hospital, I'd be there. And sure there's always a need for tact...let's not be rude, but if my hair looks like crap, don't tell me it looks good. Country music is the end therof and George Strait is an idol. We don't forget that men and women are equal, but different in roles. Mamas are the heart. Mama ain't happy aint no body happy. Pops builds the character and teaches you how to play football. Marriage is between a man and a woman and kids should fear the belt. I like how there's no shame in getting your hands a little dirty.

Yea we may talk fast and say words that stream into one that you have to decipher, but it's got character I think. Yea we may hold prejudices or racist remarks, but we fight for human equality too. Yea we may be stubborn. you might live a block from their house and go to the same chapel on Sunday and you still won't speak for 5 years. But if you needed the help, they'd be there in the end. And yea...they might get bored and do something stupid, but every culture has their stupid moments. and the whole country has issues with baby daddys.

There's a sense of respect in the south. In the end, we come together when the time calls and we know how to take off our hat in respect of our country. We nod our head when we agree and we'd let you know otherwise. Most of those people worked the land and know what it's like to fight with their life for something. I'm talking Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Lousiana, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee... & parts of Florida. There are other farming parts that have country roots and are filled with people who know how to work the land, but nothing beats southern hospitality and getting what you paid for, working for all you got, and thanking Jesus for how it all came together.

There ain't no second guessing. What you see is what you get. I like being around people that let me be me: that don't judge, just love me.