This post is intended for both local readers and those who live elsewhere.
Barn at the end of my street
I have lived in Tennessee a little over two months. That’s not very long, especially since so many people I have talked to have lived here all their life. But it is long enough to note some interesting contrasts to life back in northeastern Illinois where we lived between Chicago and Milwaukee for thirty-two years.
It didn’t take long to arrive at some conclusions about my new community. This place is not perfect. There are needs here like there are anywhere, but there some things about this area that I love, and I hope they never change.
Here are some things to be proud of and some of the area’s greatest assets.
People here are delightfully congenial, polite, respectful, and kind.
I hear it in daily conversations:
- Being addressed by “Ma’am” or “Sir”
- “Welcome to Tennessee.”
- “Let me know If I can help you in any way.”
- “I wouldn’t mind it just one bit.”
- “Let me help you with that”
- “Have a great day.”
Sometimes northerners take themselves too seriously and focus more on what’s proper than what is congenial and caring.
To me, these expressions seem pleasant, mannerly, quaint, southern, and comforting. They remind me a bit of where I grew up in Missouri. It’s a delightful, kind, and loving way to relate to people.
These words and phrases used to be more common. Here they never went away.
I don’t just hear kindness in the language, but I also hear it the stories. Doing business in northeastern Tennessee is more than a transaction. It’s a relationship.
This tends to frustrate some folks not from here who just want the facts and get things done ASAP.
If you need to buy something or hire somebody for a job, stories will ensue. You’ll hear stories about their business, various jobs, and other slices of life. The best part is they are unhurried and take time to make a true connection. They not only tell you their stories but patiently listen to yours as well. It shows the relationship is more important than the transaction.
It’s old-timey around here. I don’t mean behind the times or out-of-step with the popular culture. I mean some of the old ways have been long forgotten elsewhere. Here they never went away.
I hear it in the music. A few evenings ago, we took a little drive and wound up at an old out-of-the-way diner with amazing mountain views, huge portions, and some old-school, down home mountain musicians who kept it lively.
Last week I wandered into a local hardware store that seemed largely unchanged for decades with its original wood floors and owner seated at the rear of the store. It had survived numerous economic challenges to stay well-stocked and vital to this day.
Newer is not always better.
People work here. I mean they work with their hands. They sweat and get dirty. Where we lived most of the good jobs were in huge corporate office buildings. Also, many people worked from their home.
Where we moved from, if you got the right degree, you could start your career with a six-figure salary. There folks commuted carrying their laptop in their backpack. Everything they did was on that computer. Most of the manual labor was done by migrants.
I like good honest work where people are not afraid to get their hands dirty and learn how to do something for themselves and help others. That is not the trend among most younger people and city dwellers today. They have a guy for that.
Granted, there are not huge international business parks and corridors of corporate buildings here, like there are north of Chicago. The jobs here seem to be more manual and likely pay less. I would think that leaves several manual jobs or entrepreneurial opportunities for those who want to work. I have noticed several young people working hard at their own business who seem to be doing well.
I am not swooping in to try to analyze your culture because now it is my culture too. This is where I live. This is probably where I will die. I want to learn about life here. I want to talk to interesting people. I want to interact with you. Please, feel free to send me any words of wisdom you have for a newbie to Claiborne County, Tennessee.
