Posted on 01/24/2013 6:23:56 PM PST by FoxPro
I have lived in Las Vegas and Los Angeles for the past 5 years.
I drove down to Huntsville, Alabama to work on some software, with a friend of mine.
I have never been to the "deep South".
I have been here for 24 hours.
It is really a bit of a culture shock after spending a day sorting things out, here.
Everybody is "Yes Sir" and "No Sir" with people differing to you with "Am I in your way?" and "Can I help you find something?"
Well, this is exactly what happened to me today.
I sat down to get to work, on my computer and the battery in my mouse dies.
I move my mouse and the arrow is just there, not moving.
It always happens at the worst of times.
So I drive down to Kroger's grocery store, walk in, stand there, trying to figure out if I should turn left or right, in my hunt for the "Battery Center".
Well this very large man walks up to me, he is wearing a Kroger badge and below his name it says "Manager".
He intones "Can I help you?"
I said, a bit jaded "Yes, I need ONE AA battery, but I know I will have to buy a 12 pack, but that's just the way things go."
He motions me over to a check stand, grabs a 4 pack of AA batteries, tears it open, pulls out one battery, hands it to me and says "Merry Christmas."
I am stunned...
DO YOU REALLY THINK THIS WOULD EVER HAPPEN ANYWHERE IN LOS ANGELES? Really?
The guy made my day and it is a seemingly small gesture, I will never forget.
But this guy knows I will probably spend $100 or more, at this Kroger's, in the next few months, than I would have otherwise.
He knows that this small act of kindness will be recouped many times over in the near future.
This gentleman knows all about not being "Penny wise and pound foolish."
I think I will like being an Alabamian.
Welcome to my neck of the woods!
People in the rural north are friendly folks too. Its a different kind of nice but good folks just the same.
Great post!
I am also a refugee from L.A. I have found that great Southern attitude here in Dallas.
Have a great time down here where civilized people live.
/johnny
two more years and I am there
I live in Huntsville. For a lot of people who have never been to the deep South, it is a shock.
And then many of them move here.
Welcome to Huntsville.
BTW, if you want to go to church somewhere Sunday, we would be honored to have you at the Jordan Park Church of Christ.
www.jordanpark.org
The above link will give you plenty of info on how to find us.
North Carolina was a second home when I was growing up in MA. I miss it terribly.
Welcome home-American by birth-Southern by the grace of God.
The least Multicultural societies are most often the nicest.
(Ringing in with the correct answer:)
It is the buckle of the Bible Belt !
Same way in rural Northern California (far from the coast).
I have lived here since 1966 and the people here are about the nicest anywhere. Guess it is in the water! I have discovered that if I am nice to others, they are nice in return. Love HSV.
My husband and I, both Texans, were at the car rental counter at a California Airport. The young black woman behind the counter asked my husband for his drivers license number.
He verbally gave the number, a typical trust issue in Texas.
In the way of young black women, head and chin back, shoulders, doing a slight zig-zag, she says “To-To, you ain’t in Kansas anymore, I’ll need to SEE that license”
We got a kick out of that reaction.
The moral? We are as surprised at cynicism as you are at openness.
Sssssssshhhhhh!!!! I live about 50 miles from Huntsville . . . don’t want the word to get out too much. A good thing can be messed up . . . just look at Washington!
No argument...but for a reasonably large city, I have found the people of Indianapolis the nicest, friendliest folks around.
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