I don’t think it’s a southern thing as much as it is a rural thing.

When I was growing up, having conversations while being parked in the middle of the road wasn’t that uncommon. We didn’t have cell phones yet, so if you saw somebody you knew, you put your vehicle in park and you visited for a spell.

The people who happened to drive upon them, knew what was going on. Usually they would stop and wait for the exchange to end. I’m sure they had done the same themselves many times.

Those who were talking, showed their appreciation by wrapping up their conversations. As they drove off, they would give a wave of thanks to those who waited.

It was a way of life.

As a child, there were many times I sat quietly in the car or truck as my dad, my uncle, my mom, or my papaw carried on several conversations this way. But the most notorious one for it was papaw.

It didn’t matter where he was, what he was driving, or who he was with. If he saw somebody he knew, he stopped, shifted it into park, and preceded to talk. I have even seen him stop to talk while driving his tractor. In that case, usually he was hauling a bale of hay.

Sometimes on Sunday afternoons, Papaw would take us for a drive after church. One time we came upon a man riding on a horse. Of course, Papaw knew him. The man; not the horse. Naturally, Papaw stopped to talk to him while admiring the horse.

When I was about 10 years old, I was riding with my grandparents. I was anxious to get back home since one of my TV shows was due to come on soon. As we were driving, papaw noticed a man sitting on his porch. He stopped the station wagon, rolled the passenger window down, and leaned across Mamaw to talk to the man.

Neither one moved from their place as they chatted. Papaw stayed in the road and the man stayed on his front porch and in his rocking chair. As for me, I was getting antsy. It was almost time for my TV show and I didn’t want to miss it. In those days, we didn’t have a VCR player or a DVR. If you missed a show, then you were out of luck. Your only chance was to see it as a rerun.

This time, I didn’t sit so quietly. I kept after Papaw, “My show’s coming on soon.” I don’t know how many times I reminded him of that little fact. He became aggravated as did I. Finally, papaw gave in to my whining. As we drove off, Papaw told me, “Talking and checking up on others is the neighborly thing to do."

“Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” 1 Peter 4:9 (KJV)

This short verse packs a quite the punch. That man on the front porch died a few years after that and his house is now gone. My Papaw was the one doing the right thing. We should always be thinking about being there for our neighbors and not just ourselves.

You know, I miss that simplicity. Now everybody is in a hurry and we chat on our cell phones while driving on the road.

If you happen to be driving out in the country and you see two vehicles stopped in the middle of road, just remember they are being neighborly. They see you and will soon wrap up their chatting.

And if you see me sitting on my front porch, please feel free to stop and chat a while. And don’t forget the chocolate.