7. hospitality

so, i had a totally different blip planned today. another subject altogether. but then i arrived home and the mail had come. now we all know how much i love the mail. but today, in particular, was a day to behold.

blip has been nothing but a positive experience for me, and today was a reaffirmation of that. this morning, i mailed a mess of postcards to my perennial blip buddy, wendy. i also began to put together a small package to send her as she has had a bit of a rough beginning to her new year and i thought a few smiles from texas would do her good.

and then i got home today. she and i must have been on the same wavelength, because she sent me a package first! a lovely card and then a tea towel that is amazing - names of a bunch of famous yorkshire people (or tykes, i am informed!) printed all over it. and an honorary induction to the tyke clan.

i had to blip it.

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but in fact it does tie in to a major thing i love about texas. lots of people will deny it or disagree, and that's fine. but i truly believe people in texas are considerably more hospitable than many other parts of the US. when i moved to boston, i lamented the loss of neighborly friendliness...

the hello on the street as you pass someone....even if you do not know them.

the two or three finger wave as you drive by someone in a small town....even if you do not know them.

the guarantee that if you are changing your tire all by yourself in a park parking lot with 7 or 8 dogs running around you, that no one will pass you without offering assistance, least of all a man. (not a guarantee in boston)

the easy way that people will lend a hand....with spare change, a ride, or even just a gift to brighten your day.

some people think this is fake, and i disagree. perhaps this is because i am an eternal idealist, but i don't think "texas hospitality" is, on the whole, a fake way of being. in the suburbs and big cities, yes, maybe it is harder to find. but still more common than most other major urban centers, i'd argue.

but in small towns this tradition is very much alive, and very much appreciated. community is important to these folks, even if beliefs are not always the same. they might think you're going to hell, but they'll still give you that glass of lemonade.

i like that.

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though wendy may not get her "texas" package for a few days yet, she is certainly already an honorary texan. thanks for the day brightener. :)

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camera arrives at processing center tomorrow. probably 2-3 days before it's fully assessed. then another 2-3 days fixed (i hope) and then another 2-3 home.....it cannot come soon enough.