Bless your heart... How a Polish gal, found a home in South

Y’all, let me tell you something, I have never expected this one thing when I packed up my Polish self and settled down in sunny Florida. That I wouldn’t really move away from my culture— instead I would just move into its cousin with a drawl.

People talk about the American South like it’s a whole different world—and bless their hearts, sometimes it truly is—but for a Polish gal like me, I walked right in, looked around, and thought, “Oh! I know these people. These are my people… just with more iced tea and fewer pickled beets.” Back home, we’ll drop everything—everything—if a cousin needs help moving a sofa or someone’s mother’s neighbor’s dog needs a ride to the vet. In the South, it’s the same. You mention family and suddenly everyone is in the car, ready to haul, carry, lift, bake, or moral-support their way through the crisis. Honestly, it’s comforting. The accents may be different, but the devotion is identical. Polish and Southern hospitality also go hand in hand. In Poland it goes like this: “Are you hungry?” (You say no.) “Okay, here is food anyway.” Southern hospitality? Same energy. “Sweetheart, have you eaten?” (You say yes.) “Alright, I’ll fix you a plate.” The South may use more butter and less sauerkraut, but the philosophy is the same: If you’re under someone’s roof, your stomach is their responsibility. Also in Poland, we pride ourselves on working hard, then resting like we’ve just chopped wood for the winter. Southerners? Same thing, except their wood-chopping is usually lawn work in July, which—let’s be honest—deserves a medal. Both cultures absolutely understand the sacred importance of a good sit-down after a long day. Bonus points if you have a porch. And sweet tea. And more sweet tea.

But the most important similarity between Polish folks and Southern folks lies in our honesty. Sometimes brutal. Sometimes alarming. But always with love. Poles and southerners are straight shooters, but Southerners they wrap the truth in about six layers of buttercream frosting before serving it. You can get roasted in the South and not realize it until the next day. Why? Because it ends with that magical, multi-purpose phrase: “Bless your heart.” It’s basically the Southern equivalent of a wink and a smirk. Depending on tone, it can mean anything. I swear, “bless your heart” is the Swiss Army knife of expressions. Poles don’t really have an exact version of it—we just say the blunt thing and hope you love us enough not to take it personally.

When you boil it down, the South and Old World Poland share a surprising number of personality traits: loyal to a fault, hardworking, family-focused, incredibly hospitable, hilariously straightforward, and suspicious of people who don’t eat enough.

So when Southerners grin at me and say, “You’re not from around here, are ya?” I just smile back and think, “Oh honey, I might be more Southern than you realize.” We’re cut from the same cloth—just stitched in different patterns. And if anyone disagrees…well, bless their heart.