I'm reading {listening} to a book on tape {err..mp3}, Where the River Ends by Charles Martin. He's a Southern lit guy, and I like the way he captures the South with his words and stories. Basically, he is Nicholas Sparks meets Pat Conroy. Today, on the drive home, I heard this description of Southerners and it resonated with me and reminded me of my people. It reminded me of where I came from.
"[Southerners] talk slower often stretching two syllables into five,
use phrases that make little sense on the surface, dip Copenhagen and drink
beer simultaneously, and have no desire to understand a New York minute. Admittedly, college degrees are not the
norm. PhDs are few. And while outsiders drive across the
bridge and see little more than drunk rednecks, they do well to never confuse
cultural difference with ignorance or stupidity.
Beneath the twangy exterior, they value common sense, make
due with less, laugh easily, and will give you the shirt off their backs. They are the salt of the earth. When you’re not in a hurry, pull up a
chair and you will find your stomach full and that laughter has creased your
face with wrinkles."
What do you think? What words ring true to where you came from?
