Just Say Hey!

It’s about time the rest of the U.S.A. officially recognized a longtime Southern tradition. Yes siree, there’s a star-studded campaign to get folks to do something we’ve been doing down here in the South since we shipped in from Europe.

And what’s that? Why, saying “hey” to folks we meet in our daily lives. Being it wasn’t a Southern proposal, I mean, why would we suggest everyone do something we do naturally, those in charge of the campaign suggest you “Just Say Hello!”

It’s probably for the best that the rest of the U.S.A. concentrate on saying hello because they don’t know all the nuances of how to say hey. For such a short word, it carries a lot of punch. And when spoken to a friend you’re right happy to see, that little bitty word can sound as if it has a bunch more syllables.

Back to the Just Say Hello campaign. The idea is to get folks connected with others. Seems recent research says lots of people in the U.S. suffer from loneliness. This is not a good thing to have because it can actually shorten your life. 

They want folks to put down their cell phones and connect with the people around them by doing little things, like saying hello to the clerk fixing our morning shot of latte. Or starting a conversation with a neighbor in the grocery store line.

Don’t that beat all? I thought everybody already did that. But there again, I’ve spent all my life in the South.

Since most of the world doesn’t get to live here, I guess having a national campaign to get folks to connect is a good idea. If it makes the rest of the U.S.A. as friendly as the South, who am I to complain?