Do people actually care?

What i do notice a lot of down south, is people will start conversations with you anywhere. I mean up north people say hi or hows it going. But here down south people seem like they actually care. After someone asks you hows it going, and you start telling them, they will actually stand there and listen and continue to talk to you.

Sometimes I feel like I'm in the twilight zone a lot of the times. There have been many

times that I find myself having a conversation with someone whether I'm at the grocery store or just grabbing a cup of coffee somewhere.

I can only remember a couple times up north that I have held a conversation with a complete stranger for more then 5 minutes. So if you ask me....people down south really do care.

Sluggish South??

Is the south slow, or is the north just really fast paced? Is it laziness or are people up north just always in a rush for no reason? I told all my friends up north that people down here are so slow. My mother always tells me she's nervous I am going to become more slow from living down here. She always gets mad at me for my "chill" or "relaxed" personality. It's not that I'm slow, for the most part I am "chill" and "relaxed", but I know when to be. Every job I'v ever had I have always gotten promoted. In one month being at a high-end grocery store, I went from scanning veggies to Floor Manager and Book-keeper. Only if my mom could realize I am different from how I am at work and how I am at school/work. I feel as though this relates to the south. People are not lazy down here, they just have a whole different way of looking at life. Why rush it, and get pissed off at the person who can't get the change out of his pocket quick enough. Everywhere I go with my mom she ends up getting pissed at someone:whether were at CVS getting shampoo or at Starbucks getting coffee. Whenever she says something to someone she gives them such an attitude. I usually nudge her on the side and tell her to stop and she usually does. Then we walk out of the store and I ask her why she got so aggravated and I tell her it wasn't the cashiers fault. Then I go on and ask her "What the hell are we in a rush for?" Were usually just going straight home, therefore there was no need for her to get mad in the first place.

Beach Bums in St Augy

One thing I still don't understand and can't get a grasp on is why there are so many bums everywhere? Any and everywhere you look their is always a dude with gnarly hair and a huge beard, oversized backpack, asking you for some money or standing there on the corner of a red light with a sign reading " Need work". I just dont get it. The bums here aren't your normal bums either. Up north the bums in New York are actually homeless for a reason. I'v talked to many bums up north and the reason their living on the street is because they had a sh*ty past and ended up here and its to late to get a job, they have nothing. I'v had multiple conversations with the bums here and usually they say its a lifestyle. They think its a way of life, be a bum, and mooch of other people. A way of life, are you f*ckin' kidding me. If its a way of life, im not giving you any money. The only time I gave a bum money here was when I saw he had 2 dogs with him. I walked up to the little convenient store, saw a girl and guy( both of which had dreads, now dont take me wrong, I thing dreads are sick, just tryina give some visuals here) and 2 dirty but at the same time cute dogs just posted up chillin. As I was about to open the door, the guy said " Uh, hey mannn, you got any money?" He was definitely stoned outa his mind, but that goes with the "lifestyle" you know, just straight living the dream. So I said "hold up dude" and I walked inside all i could think about was if I gave him money, he was just gona blow it on some weed for him and his grimey lookin girl. So instead of givin him money, i went over and grabbed a decent sized cold water, and a big can of wet doggy food. I grabbed a coffee cup for them to put the water for the lil doggies. The dogs were super happy after I opened the cans of food and gave it to them, I felt bad because they were lookin at me like they wanted a nice pet behind the ears, but I really didnt feel like smellin for the rest of the day.

The bums here in St Augy kinda remind me of that movie "Into the Wild" with Emile Hirsch, he plays a kid who just graduated college and doesnt want to deal with the cultural norm of going back to grad school, getting a set job and family. He cuts all his credit cards, burns is social security number and changes his name. He believes that happiness can be obtained just living in nature, not dealing with the money, not getting jobs, not creating a family, not falling in love etc. He soon dies by himself, and the last thing he said was " happiness is only real when shared".