What I Like the Most about the South

Thank goodness there's something I like about the South.

Every day I toy with the idea of moving back to the Northwest and mostly every day I feel wistful about the climate, beauty and liberal attudes native to the area.

But, if I move back, there is one thing that I will miss about the South. And that thing is this: strangers who look you in the eyes and say "Hi".

I am a walker. I commute to work by foot and urban walking is my preferred form of exercize. Along the way, when I pass people I usually greet them, either with a smile, a wave or a friendly "hi" or "hey". Here in the South others frequently greet me, first. It makes me feel good, acknowledging the humanity in others.

In Seattle, I walked two to three miles a day, 3 to 5 days a week for about 10 years. And I have to say that in that time, not ONCE did someone say hello to me first! Usually, when I would smile and nod my head, I would encounter a downward glance or an uncomfortable tight grin. Never a full-on friendly hello. Seattle's preferred walking path is the asphalt ring surrounding Greenlake. If you live there, think about it. Have you ever said hello to the people you pass more than once as you make your way around the lake? No, it's like a circular cavalcade of drones, going about their business, alone in a sea of others.

What's the deal? I frequently felt like a freak when I ventured out for my walks and said hello to others passing by. Sometimes, even ashamed. What's up with that, anyway? Why don't Northwesterners say hello to strangers? Heck, I'm white and they're all mostly white so it can't be a racial prejudice thing! Is it really, as I've been lead to believe, a Nordic conservative attitude? Loosen up, people!

And I don't even consider myself a people-person! Just a little friendly contact is all it takes to brighten my day. Now that I know its not my fault, if I do move back to Seattle, I will make it my mission to start a "cheery greeting" campaign, to urge Northwesterners to start saying hello to strangers. It is nothing to be afraid of, people!