Arizona – heart of the Midwest?

As an Englishwoman, the thing I really love about Arizona is the politeness and courtesy I find there. There is an assumption that English people are constantly apologizing and saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ but for me, the real good manners of folk in Arizona is a delight.

It is not about the, ‘have a nice day’ from store assistants but more about the behaviour of customers who even excuse themselves in passing before your eyeline if you are browsing the shelves. In the English supermarket car park, it often feels as if drivers would cheerfully drive over you, whereas in Arizona, vehicles stop and allow pedestrians to walk or push their carts unthreatened.

My compliments to locals on their general civility produced the explanation that it was the influx of people from the Midwest that accounts for the local courteousness. The good people of the harsh Midwest have brought their social etiquette and mores into the warm and welcoming climate of Arizona.    

For me, the two make a perfect combination – a glorious climate – so long as sun is on your agenda – and charming, welcoming people.

There are many things about Arizona that take me back there: the landscapes, the desert, the plants and birdlife and the climate, of course, but if the service and helpfulness was not there, the heart of the place would be different. Many of the regular visitors to Arizona, the ‘snowbirds’, are themselves Midwestern and so the patterns of the locals are reinforced by visitors themselves. I felt naturally obliged to be part of the way of life, and understood that just by being there, I became a politer person.        

In a wider sense the experience helped me realize how important is the environment that we create at work or school. If our everyday interactions are based on respect and courtesy, any exception to that standard is rather shocking. Whether dealing with our customers or our colleagues, our manner speaks volumes about what we think of them. Any newcomer to a group or organisation will tend to adapt themselves to the prevailing tone. If we want a harmonious and friendly organisation we need to set standards that everyone embraces willingly. We need to give our own environment a Midwestern frame of mind.