where you from

WHERE YOU FROM

i get asked that frequently
when i talk to someone who has never meet me before
well
at least since ive lived here in santa barbara

i dont think i had been asked that very often when i lived in texas
well not in the last couple decades i lived there

recently i was working in the community garden by myself on a saturday morning 
i was by myself enjoying the solitude

a young man wondered into the garden 
he didnt know i was there
he was singing and talking to himself
sampling some produce on the tables under the shade oak tree
i recognized him as being from the church next to our garden
he had been here volunteering in the garden before
i also recognized that he was emotionally challenged also

he jumped
when i said good morning how yall doing
we talked some about the garden and how peaceful it was
as he walked off he turned and looked at me
like 
are you messing with me look on his face

he said
with an almost hurt look on his face
an are you just talking like that to me look

no i said
im not messing with you
thats just the way i talk
so
i went into my deep southern drawl 
actually i started talking like my older brother who lives in the deep south and talks naturally that way

now
out of my 7 siblings 5 of us lived outside of the deep south many in northen states and western states and some in foreign countries like europe and eastern countries 

only one of them never lost their deep southern drawl no matter where they lived

i lived 20 years in arkansas then lived 8 years in southern calfornia then lived in arkanasas and texas for the rest of my life except for the last 4 years where i have lived in southern california

when i listened to my alzheimers presentations it seems i have a western accent mixed with a southern drawl

im sure in the south it sounds more influenced by the western accent
here it probably sounds more influenced by the southern drawl

i remember when i first moved to california in my twenties folks would like to hear me talk

where you from they would ask

when i would return back to the south to visit and live they folks in the south would say you have a different accent 

where you from

now 3 of my siblings that lived elsewhere dont seem to have that drawl that my older brother has
its there some but they might be able to pass as not from the south
well maybe not in new york or las angeles
two of them traveled a lot with the military 
one was always in a university setting
maybe thats why 

im sure they got that question 

where you from

there probably isnt a week that goes by that someone doesnt ask me
when they meet me or talk with me
even the trader joes cashiers will ask me

where you from 

now what i do 
i think about my older brother 
i just reply to them like how he talks with his deep drawl and add in some yalls and gonnas 
just to entertain them

yall just aint gonna believe what this here lady asked me

that seems to entertain them some

i know i know
he only adds to the stereotype 
right 
like 
the beverly hillbillies

but
what you have to be careful about 
is
that underneath that southern drawl that can suck you in 
there is a wily wise ole man doing that talking
dont let yourself get fooled
remember the country lawyer ben matlock played by andy griffith 

so
where you from

now i just say
im from austin
that seems to make them happy

but
actually 

im from everywhere

the organicgreen doctor