Merry-Land

We are spending this wonderful Sunday in Maryland.
It is an unusually happy place. Kind of creepy actually. I am surprised that people can live so wonderfully together. I would think of living here myself if I didn't feel completely out of place.

I grew up in one of the smallest towns in NY, and we were bred to be really nice to those we know, but wary of those we did not. One of the reasons for this was because of the abduction of Sarah Ann Wood when I was a kid. People in my town were very scared of anything new, and until the laws were set in place to notify people of possible child predators, nobody felt safe. As a kid I would walk back and forth to school with my brother and sister, but I would never walk alone for fear that some predator was going to shove me in the back of his van. Little did I know that being raised a pain in the ass would make it hard for someone to deal with me.

I never liked meeting new people as a kid, and I think people knew this or found out fairly quickly after meeting me. I think I was kind of rude as a kid, and would often ask "do I KNOW you!?!" as if the new person could answer yes, and possibly surprise me. I was never rude to adults, but my classmates could probably call me abrasive. That was my defense mechanism. Now my defenses are down, and I am no longer scared of new people, I just avoid meeting new people. I guess people now would call me shy, or an introvert. However, that is not the case. I have a rule where no less than three of my friends can know you in order for me to trust you. I have no issue meeting people, I just don't seek people out. I guess that is what makes Maryland so hard for me to adjust to. Random people walking down the street will say "hello, how are you" and all i seem to mumble is "hi." It is somewhat scary for me to be surrounded by friendly people who don't know me, yet are eager to know me. The worst part is they all seem to know that I don't live here, or anywhere near, but they don't seem to care! I am wondering now if the entire state of Maryland is brainwashed. Where is all the road rage? What about the angry people you find in every other wal-mart in the universe? Nothing.

I bet I could walk into the local food lion, and forget to pay for water in the bottom of my cart, and they wouldn't drag me into the back room to finger print me like Hannaford in New Hartford once did for a real accident. I am not sure if people here are too nice, or putting on a show, but I think I could get used to not being thrown down by greeters at wal-mart for making the thing beep on my way out the door.