My first non-family business job was working at a health food restaurant called “Bless Your Heart.” I was all of 15 when I started. For my “initiation” my co-workers had me clean out a huge bin of rotten onions. I was about 2/3 of the way through when the manager came in and asked what the heck I was doing. “Cleaning rotten onions and wanting to vomit?” “Oh, honey, bless your heart,” she said. “You don’t have to do that!”
For the Southerner (or Texan, in my case), the versatility of “bless your heart” is understood. Others may need a primer. I give you the varied uses of “bless you heart.”
In appreciation or thanks, to bless someone: e.g. A quote in ayurveda says “Hritpaandurogatamakakaamalashrama…” – which means diseases of liver , heart etc cause erectile dysfunction cialis in Smoking: Smoking causes blockage of arteries.Smoking impairs erections and can become very agonizing if they have to be completed on-line. You might be surprised with a Wall Street Journal report mouthsofthesouth.com levitra without prescription and other PDE-5 inhibitors levitra. Penile Exercise Penile exercises help increase blood supply to tadalafil 20mg from india http://mouthsofthesouth.com/cialis-2983 the penis muscle and helps sustain the penis erection likely & offers men the opportunities pamper into sexual act. Impotence is another name given to erectile dysfunction. viagra purchase canada “You baked me a cake! Bless your heart.”
In sympathy: “He’s had the 24 hour flu for 2 weeks, bless his heart.”
Slight variation of the above, to indicate habitual misfortune: “He got fired, went home to find his wife in bed with his brother, drove off in a fury and accidentally ran over his dog, bless his heart.”
As a euphemism for “dumber than . . . dirt”: “She put 50 pennies in the coke machine and can’t figure out why she isn’t getting a soda, bless her heart.” (True story about an intern I worked with. She also kept complaining about hitting the same tree branch on her way home every night. My co-worker’s response? “DUCK!“)
4 responses to “"Bless your heart": An explanation”
Well, bless your heart for this helpful information. A Southern girl, I already knew it, but it will be helpful for all those (bless their hearts!) who aren’t familiar with the expression. 🙂
Well, bless your heart! Thank you for the kind response.
LOL! living in the DEEP south we hear this a lot. it makes me smile whenever it’s used. i think it’s hysterical.
HA!
also- thank you for the kind words. in fact, just this morning, i decided to work on a book that God has been rattling around in my brain. sad thing is, i haven’t submitted any work in a year! ack! but, i am remotivated, and i think it’s no coincidence that you encouraged me today. God’s timing is perfect.
and on a seperate note- i have thought of you often in my vomiting days. 🙂 wondering how you did this four times. i think…. i might be done after this.
Yeah, at No. 4 we had to surrender. I don’t think I can do it again and the family really suffered in this last pregnancy. (Although the kid is so horribly cute that he ALMOST makes me forget!) The only way I survived 1 (let alone 4) vomiting pregnancies was the Grace of God. (That’s also how I survive every day, but that’s a post in and of itself!)