HEY Isn’t Just for Horses
Hey guys
Before I write very much, I need to explain a few things. Though I am a natural born Texan, I spent most of my life near Chicago – hence the ‘guys’. We ended up in Georgia where I have picked up many of the phrases. In Illinois, people used to say, “Use the word hello, or hi. Hey is for horses.”
Since coming to Georgia, I have come to love the term ‘hey’. In Illinois, if you passed a person, you ducked your head and ignored them. Here, you pass a person, you look them in the eye and say, ‘Hey’ whether you know them or not. Just acknowledging a person affirms them as a fellow human being of worth. It’s nice.
That leads me to one of my favorite Southern phrases – Bless her heart!
Now this phrase is not always as it seems. Being from the Bible Belt, we do use that phrase when expressing sincere sorrow for another’s grief. However! It is an invaluable phrase to address many other issues.
For instance, you are in Walmart and a well-endowed lady goes by with inadequate foundational garments, a shirt that is three sizes too small, britches that make you think she may be a plumber’s assistant, combat boots, a gun hanging from her hip holster, and her hair in a messy bun. Some people would say all sorts of mean or inappropriate things, but a properly uttered ‘Bless her heart’ says it all.
Another use of this blessing may be when you are describing your husband’s carpentry skills – not that I would do that … but pretend the dog needed a place to stay out of the weather. Said spouse decides to cut a hole in the garage wall and make a box inside the garage for said dog. Imagine a box with no sides actually square with walls mostly touching but not quite. That is a time for the phrase, “He meant well, bless his heart.”
One of the other uses is when you turn the blessing on yourself … sadly which I have to do too often.
I have tried for the last hundred years to lose weight. I was going swimming three days a week for exercise. You have to understand that I have always followed the philosophy of my youngest daughter, Missy. When she was about four, I wanted her to get outside and play. “Get some exercise!” said I. With hands on hips and a sassy face, she replied, “Exercise bothers my body!”
I do hate exercise except swimming which I could do all the time. But getting up at the crack of dawn to drive 30 minutes to swim for an hour and 30 minutes back is a challenge. But that was not the problem, bless my heart!
It’s after I returned by 9:30 that was the problem. I ate at 6:30 or so. By the time I got home, I was ready for tensy’s (not the game – second breakfast!) The rest of the day, I searched through cabinets and the refrigerator to see what I could eat without undoing the good the exercise did earlier that morning! Those cookies on the counter were just screamin’ my name!
Well, bless his heart. This particular day, Ronald thought we should go grocery shopping as soon as I got home from swimming. We went. Every aisle had something I couldn’t live without. Despite the fact that we stock our cabinets and freezer in Gramma Hudd fashion (filled to overflowing), we had a cart full of new items that we had to find places for when we got home. I should never go to the store hungry – my bank account won’t survive the abuse!
I tried to keep out of the kitchen and with stomach growling, I started to work on the computer. Well, wouldn’t you know it? I just happen to go to Pinterest. And what do I see? Fat bombs and cookie recipes! Life is not fair!
That’s it! Nana (my mom who lives with us) needed her ice cream snack. And I surely can’t leave an old woman to eat by herself, can I?
Blessings
Kara Beth
