I moved from Philly to Atlanta in 1998 to start my residency. I immediately fell in love with the city – the vibe, the people, the culture, the weather. What struck me was how respectful Southerners are – “Yes Sir”, “Yes Ma’am” and “Yes Please” – were commonplace. One phrase that I heard a lot of was “Bless your heart.” For a while, I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
One day at work, a nice, older Southern lady complimented me on how I spoke and asked me if I always got the Georgia accent. I said I did but didn’t get a phrase. She asked me which one. I replied, “Bless your heart.” With an impish smile on her face, she took my hand in hers and said:
“You don’t understand ‘Bless your heart?’ Awww, bless your heart!”
In the mean time, the nurse I was seeing the lady with was bent over in laughter.
Over the the years, I’ve come to understand the loaded phrase that is “Bless your heart”. It is one adept phrase, much like a Swiss Army knife! Even Mark Twain uses it in his essay “Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offenses”.
Use No.1
Imagine a colleague telling you:
“I was texting while driving and bumped a cop’s car!”
Well, instead of saying, “You idiot!”, you can be much more circumspect. Look him dead in the eye and go, “Bless your heart!” To add even more import, make it, “Bless your little heart!”
Adding “little” takes it to another level.
Use No. 2
Another colleague walks up and asks, “What is a selfie?”
Look at him and just go, “You don’t know what a selfie is? Aww, bless your heart!”
It is much better than asking him what rock he lives under, see. This use also works well for those friends who take forever to get a joke. Make sure to add “little” in this instance.
Use No. 3
Yet a third colleague tells you he lost his dog over the weekend. This time, you want to show empathy. “Bless your heart”, you tell him. Let it drool with sincerity.
I have learnt a great deal in my years in the South but nothing impresses me more that this phrase. I feel like understanding it means I have arrived. That I am finally part of the society. So if you think I am not because of who I am, well bless your little heart!