The "A" list

I lied, I haven’t EXACTLY retired, yet. I have 2.75 years to go. But who’s counting? I did move to the South for several well researched and maybe some “not so well thought out” reasons/excuses.

The "A" List:
First, Affinity. I was born in the South (a different Southern state than the one in which I currently live).

Second, Affordability. Most everything in the South is more affordable than anywhere else in the US.

Third, Amusement. Southerners are great storytellers and most of their tales run the gamut from humor to absurdity. There is usually a moral, an animal, or a history lesson in each narrative. Some of the best authors come from the South. Joel Chandler Harris, Truman Capote, Harper Lee, Eudora Welty, etc.

Fourth, Amity. Southerners are very friendly and even if you are a Liberal Yankee, they will help you when you are in need, (mostly because you are a real curiosity to them since not too many Liberal Yankees move to the South, but also to honor their tradition of Southern Hospitality).

Although I was born in the heart of the Confederacy, I escaped for about 25-30 years to Missouri, Japan, California, and Texas. I don’t recognize Texas as being in the South since THE SOUTH is usually defined as the general area south of Pennsylvania and the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi, consisting mainly of those states that formed the Confederacy. Texas wants to be its own country now so maybe I should dust off my passport. I did do time in North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. So you might say I am well versed in Southern Culture. I can blend in. My husband, who was born in NYC, has lived in the south for many years but has given up on the blending thing. He just tells everyone that he is a “damn Yankee” and won’t go home. He loves almost everything about the South. Although there are many differences between me and my Southern roots, I picked retirement in the South because of its familiarity. I understand southerners. I don’t agree with their politics but they are genuine, caring, and predictable. I need stability in my life now.