Midwest nice is a thing.
Is it genuine?
I have no idea but it’s refreshing and disconcerting at the same time.
When we arrived here in Sun Prairie, I had some questions about garbage and recycling pick up. I posted on the neighborhood Facebook page. The guy next door responded immediately, introduced himself, answered my questions, offered to mow our lawn, spray our wasp nest and take a load to the recycling center. He and Mark are now in a Fantasy League.
My daughter loves to talk to strangers, especially older strangers. We took a cruise once and were having trouble locating her. We found her on the Lido deck, literally, surrounded by senior citizens. She introduced me to all of her newfound friends. Throughout the cruise she would enthusiastically wave at random strangers who would call out to her by name. She was a celebrity.
Needless to say, this was one of the things that she loved the most about Wisconsin. “People talk to me here!” she said excitedly when we were trying to gauge her interest in moving to the Madison area. This entire region seems to be as friendly and chatty and helpful as the people who work the checkout lines at Trader Joe’s. Even my experience at the DMV was a positive one.
It’s not a Utopia, just last week, tensions were running high on a local Facebook page when a newcomer questioned the absence of sweet corn at the annual Sweet Corn Fest. I guess Midwest nice has it’s limits and sweet corn apparently touches a nerve. Boy did they get an earful...see what I did there? Corn?
There are things that take some adjustment, like not losing my S*%t at four way stops when someone insists on letting everyone else go first. I’m working my way towards saying hello to everyone I pass on the street, waving at the neighbors and taking friendliness at face value. I am so used to the Seattle Freeze that I have to remind myself that just because someone strikes up a conversation with me at the checkout line, it doesn’t make them a serial killer.
My daughter loves to talk to strangers, especially older strangers. We took a cruise once and were having trouble locating her. We found her on the Lido deck, literally, surrounded by senior citizens. She introduced me to all of her newfound friends. Throughout the cruise she would enthusiastically wave at random strangers who would call out to her by name. She was a celebrity.
Needless to say, this was one of the things that she loved the most about Wisconsin. “People talk to me here!” she said excitedly when we were trying to gauge her interest in moving to the Madison area. This entire region seems to be as friendly and chatty and helpful as the people who work the checkout lines at Trader Joe’s. Even my experience at the DMV was a positive one.
It’s not a Utopia, just last week, tensions were running high on a local Facebook page when a newcomer questioned the absence of sweet corn at the annual Sweet Corn Fest. I guess Midwest nice has it’s limits and sweet corn apparently touches a nerve. Boy did they get an earful...see what I did there? Corn?
There are things that take some adjustment, like not losing my S*%t at four way stops when someone insists on letting everyone else go first. I’m working my way towards saying hello to everyone I pass on the street, waving at the neighbors and taking friendliness at face value. I am so used to the Seattle Freeze that I have to remind myself that just because someone strikes up a conversation with me at the checkout line, it doesn’t make them a serial killer.
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