Well, Bless My Heart?…?

I was reading this post the other day and was reminded of my first few months down here in the land of the South.

When I transferred down here, the store didn’t have my exact position available so I was forced to work up at the service desk…a job I hadn’t done in years- a job I absolutely abhorred. Seriously.  I was so miserable that even customers remarked about my unhappiness {not that I treated them badly}.  It was totally obvious by my lack of start-up-a-conversation-with-a-complete-stranger attitude and plastered-on smile as I tried to make it another day amidst the public.

Oftentimes I’d hear “oh, bless your heart.”  And, being the total clueless Yankee that I was- I thought, “awww well, isn’t that sweet. Maybe it’s not so bad here after all.”

Now that I’ve been promoted {or is it demoted?} to damn Yankee, I’ve seen mention of the “real” meaning of “bless your heart” and let me just say…now I’m one p.o’d Yankee.

According to Urban Dictionary, saying “bless your heart” to someone is basically calling them an idiot. Hrrrmmmpph.

I much prefer Jennifer Youngblood’s{co-author of Confessions of a True Southerner articles} explanation.

1.  Used as an empathetic statement.  A hug, if you will and an expression of “I’m glad it’s you and not me.”
2.  A way to say someones dumb without actually saying it…and to say you love them nonetheless.
3. Used as an expression of sorriness after having said something nasty.

I like to think those “shop all day” and “spend-spend-spend” ladies were just feeling sorry for me, a little ole pitiful cashier. Hmmm….