We decided to go back on the road recently. The fears and the hysteria surrounding the Scamdemic have just gotten to be too much. So we hit the road. We love road trips and we particularly love going back down South. (Yes, South gets a capital S)
We really enjoy rolling through small towns, they remind me of my youth and growing up in a similar small town. My hometown was so small, we couldn’t even be classified as a ‘one dog town’. We had to rent a dog from the town down the highway on weekends.
But back to our recent trip. We stopped by a fast food chain known for their biscuits for a quick breakfast. I don’t care about my diet on vacations, and especially when I can get a fried pork chop on a biscuit with white sausage gravy. (My wife coined the new term of calling white sausage gravy Cream of Sausage Soup, because I was eating it out of a bowl)
Now, down South, a lot of the eating establishments have opened back up for sit down dining. And that’s a good thing. We need to be back to something close to ‘old’ normal. As we were eating, I noticed a table of older gentleman sitting at their socially distanced table, sipping coffee and from the sounds of the conversation, solving all of the world’s problems.
As a disclaimer, I have always found it fascinating and somewhat humorous about the older men sitting around McDonalds or Hardees or countless diners, drinking coffee, talking and taking on the issues of the day. As I get closer and closer to that age of admission to such a table, I guess I’m secretly taking my notes on how the procedures go.
These men I saw were back at it, laughing, speaking to almost everyone that came through the door. One held council on the tribulations of his particularly “hog headed nephew who was so stupid that he couldn’t pour piss out of a boot without a manual” multiple attempts to charge the battery on his truck. This story earned repeated peels of laughter and guffawing about the event.
This made my heart glad again. Something, something so small, had brought back normalcy to our world. Finally. So I decided that I would tell them this.
As I left, I stopped by their table, excused myself, introduced myself and told the council of elders that I was happy to see them enjoying each other’s company and for having the watch on solving the world’s ills this Saturday morning.
One particular gentleman nodded and agreed, but warned me that “as usual, we’re solving the problems, but ain’t nary a soul listening to us!” Again, this brought a round of laughter and slapping the table.
I said, “Well, gents, I appreciate you and think we’d all be better off if we did listen to y’all.” Nods all around. And then the gentleman that had spoken to me earlier smiled at me and simply said “Proverbs 20:29, The glory of young men is their strength and the honor of old men is the grey head.”
I said my goodbyes, and as par for down South, I was ‘God blessed’ thoroughly and bid safe travels. I left a little bit wiser and with a fuller heart and head. The Council had done their job this day.
As a postscript to this, I feel compelled to mention that this was a group of 4 men, 3 white and one black gentlemen. Remember this took place in rural Tennessee. Later that same morning, we walked the streets of this small town, where across from a statue of a Confederate general in the town square, a group of diverse local youth were in the park, practicing for a community choir concert.
America is a wonderful place, we are a wonderful people and we are being misled by our media and our so called ‘leaders’.
Don’t be fooled. Think of the Coffee Councils and know that we are alright.
We are alright.
Lead from the front!
Semper Fortis
Chief Chuck