A Breath of Fresh Air

I went to Starbucks this evening to finish up some homework, and to watch some movies. I sat in one of the two lounge chairs just to the left of the main door. After sitting there about 45 minutes, this guy walked in and sat down in the chair next to me. I could tell he was a fellow LeTourneau student, because he had a stack of books, a laptop, a worksheet he was working on, and a Venti coffee to keep him awake. He and I never said a word to each other: no “hi”, “hello”, or “how are you doin’?”; just a brief moment of eye contact. We each sat there working away at our own tasks for about a half hour, not speaking a word to each other.

Then in comes this older couple. They walk up to the counter, order their coffee and sit down at the table directly in front of us. Not two minutes after they had sat down, the older gentlemen looked at me and said, "Nothin’ runs like a dear, eh son?" I looked back at him somewhat confused, not remembering I was wearing my John Deere hat. Realizing my confusion he repeated his statement. I respectfully replied, "No sir, nothin’ runs like a Deere." That simple question sparked an hour long conversation that covered life experiences from seventy four years ago to today.

The guy next to me joined in the conversation after soon realizing that we’re from towns no more than 20 minutes apart. He is from Round Rock, the older couple from Austin, and me from Hutto. So we talked and talked about where they had lived, where they went to school, what it was like growing up, and how school was going for us students.

I really enjoyed talking to them, it was like taking a breath of fresh air; just good Texas folk talkin’ to each other.

After about an hour, I made my exit, having shook Mr. and Mrs. Cadds hands. As soon as I got in my car I began to think, “What will this next generation be like?” The other college student and I didn't say a word to each other, didn't even acknowledge each other, but this older couple began talking to us immediately.

Have we moved so far away from traditional values that we don't even talk to one another? People are important. That is an important value, and we should all be willing to care about others enough to start a conversation with just about anyone. I hope that when my generation is old that we aren't buried in our laptops and gizmos, so much that we don't take the time to talk to others, share stories and experiences with the generation to come after us, and to genuinely care about others.

That's my life lesson for the day. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Cadds

Know the Blessing,

Michael R. Bullock