Minnesota Niceties

Apparently my little entry on “Minnesota Nice” raised a few eyebrows, and caused quite the reaction among my small, but appreciated Minnesota following. I do not apologize; people are different and somewhat the same wherever you go. However, I do maintain there is a certain attitude in the North Star State that balances between politeness and indifference that is rather interesting and unique… but it doesn’t mean there aren’t genuinely nice people out there. There are.

So, for the other genuinely NICE Minnesotans, here are a few of the niceties we have experienced here:

The gracious families who have invited us to share a Yom Kippur break fast, a Christmas lunch, an Easter dinner, and a Passover seder. In the absence of family, holidays are always easier to bear when surrounded by nice people.

Our coworkers at both jobs make going to work fun and bearable. Some coworkers have worked extra so we can be off for family visits and upcoming vacations. That’s nice.

When I first designed my costume for work, a few coworkers went antiquing and came back with a nice gift… gloves that perfectly went to my outfit. It was an unexpected nice surprise for a newcomer from a Minnesotan.

And, Dave's former following in Bemidji and Brainerd that have noticed him on KARE. He's gotten a few emails, and even run into people from the North down here in the cities. It's always nice to know people remember you in a good way.

I have been told the “Minnesota not-nice” people I’ve met are the transplants to Minnesota. There are certainly enough of those. But one thing we all agree upon: there is no such thing as Minnesota nice-anything when you are on the interstate.