Five Things Southern Girls Can't Live Without
Five Things a Southern Girl Can’t Live Without
I was on a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, when the
unthinkable happened—I accidentally left part of my luggage behind. Not just
any luggage, mind you, but the luggage containing my makeup, hair products,
lotion, sun block (the list goes on and on). After a good fit-pitching session with lots of hair pulling
and hand wringing, I was left with no other alternative but to replace the
items. Consequently, I found myself at Walmart at 11:30 at night, picking up
all of those essential items I couldn’t live without. $100.00 later, I finally
had enough stuff to get me through my trip. And while I can laugh about it now,
the ordeal certainly wasn’t funny at the time.
This experience got me to thinking about the things that
this Southern girl can’t live without. Here’s the list in no particular order:
1. The love of
a good man.
While the rest of the world is dissing on men, we Southern
women have sense enough to know which side our bread’s buttered on. Yes, I’ll
say it out loud for all to hear—the world needs more good men. Men who aren’t
afraid to be men. Men who are God-fearing and prayerful. Men who love their
wives and adore their children. Men who still open doors for women. Men who
make us want to be better women. Southern girls know how to treat their men right, and they
aren’t afraid to admit it.
2. High Heels.
If I could, I’d permanently attach heels to the bottom of my
feet. I love high heels and wear them everywhere I go. I’m often teased about
my heels, but that doesn’t stop me from wearing them. Heels are the epicenter
of fashion and make most every outfit look good. (I’ve even been known to wear
heels while out weeding the yard, but that’s a story for another time.)
3. Chocolate.
This one goes without saying. There are few ills in life
that can’t be solved with a big piece of smooth chocolate. Warm brownies and
vanilla ice cream are my favorite, but I wouldn’t turn down a chocolate chip
cookie if it were offered to me.
4. Hairspray.
This was the primary item I was running to the store to get
at 11:30 at night. I absolutely refuse to live without my hairspray! For those
of you who say big hair is a thing of the past, you’ve obviously never been to
Alabama on a Friday night. A word of advice—never come between a Southern girl
and her hairspray. (I actually had to make two trips to Walmart that dreadful
night in the Smokies. The first time, I accidentally got mousse instead of
hairspray. When I realized my mistake, I trotted back as fast as I could to get
hairspray.)
5. Manners.
Where have all of the manners gone? Whatever happened to
“please” and “thank you?” Southerners have the market cornered on good manners.
I wish the rest of the world would take notes. When someone opens the door for
you at a restaurant, for goodness sakes, look him in the eye and say “thank
you.” If you’re walking across the parking lot to get to Target, and a car
pauses and lets you walk in front, give a wave of acknowledgement. And the big
ones—say: “Yes ma’am” and “yes sir.” The world needs more civility! In our rush
for information and convenience, we’ve forgotten that a little bit of kindness
goes a long way. It takes so little effort to be kind and yet it makes such a
big difference.
There you have it, the five things Southern girls can’t
live without.