Southern Traditions and Double Standards

There are many things I love about living in the South. There are just as many things that I hate about living in the South. Curiously, some things fall into both categories.

Take, for example, manners. The importance of manners should never be underestimated and they are spoonfed to native Southerners from the time of conception. This goes beyond the usual niceties of "please" and "thank you," extending to "sir" and "ma'am" at the least. I won't bore you with all the other tenets of Southern manners - everything you've heard is true.

While I see the value in being polite and showing respect, I absolutely detest being called ma'am. The word makes me feel old and matronly and can raise my blood pressure like nothing else. I realize how completely irrational this is, especially since the terms roll off my own tongue without second thought.

Regardless, that's how I feel...well, that's how I felt, until today. I was 5 miles into my daily run and met a man who was out for a walk. I was jamming to Gnarls Barkley so loud that I barely heard it - "Ma'am." I turned my head - eyes flashing, biting my tongue to avoid spraying venom - only to see this dear man with his hat off his head, clutching his cane, bending at the waist, wishing me a good day and a safe run. You'll be hard pressed to find a sweeter scene anywhere, and I'm quite sure I fell a little in love.