Never judge a book by its cover
This past week I have been restoring a metal stool that is very old. It has two steps that fold back into the body of the stool when not needed. It is probably 25 years old. I took it apart, painted it using the original paint scheme and put it back together and it looks much better. As I stood there gazing at how the old stool had been transformed, this thought crossed my mind: wouldn’t it be great if we could take our old, tired bodies and transform them so dramatically. I guess the key is keeping our bodies in good shape as life progresses and then the complete overhaul is not necessary. Easier said than done.
We had the Tree Man (John) come over the other day and trim four of the trees in our backyard. He looked like he had spent too many evenings in the bar and averaged 3-4 hours of sleep per night. His arrival had been delayed several days while his back recovered from some unknown injury. His buddy was the one that trimmed the trees. John hauled the branches to the front for the city to pick up. All his upper teeth were missing, his beard was 5-6 days old and he wore Army camouflage pants. If you met John on the street you would think he was homeless. In fact, John is a very likable fellow. He is quick with a smile, his conversations are entertaining and informative and he seems to be a nice guy. As he and his buddy loaded up to leave after about 5 hours of work, we said our goodbyes and John reminded me to call him if I needed anything else done. How sad it would have been to miss out on meeting such a nice guy just because of his appearance. Lends credence to the old saying “Never judge a book by its cover.â€
I was told by my barber (Bryan) last week that he would be leaving the area in early June. Now, he has only been cutting my hair for about a year, but good barbers are hard to find. My last barber’s rate progressed from $12 to $21 over 5 years. I finally had to tell her goodbye and start a search for a new one. It took me almost a year, but finally, I stumbled across Bryan, and he cut my hair exactly as I wanted it and the bonus was that he only charged $9. Now the search begins anew. I remember as a teenager getting my haircut in Grundy, VA for $1.75. I always used the same barber, although there were four of them at the barbershop. As we all know, haircuts are important no matter your age. A bad haircut as a teenager was devastating. Now, as the old saying goes, “What is the difference between a good haircut and a bad one? Two weeks!â€
Our visit back home last week was very enjoyable. I visited with family and friends and attended the Stained Glass Window dedication at the church I grew up attending as a young boy. I have included a picture of the Garden United Methodist Church and me, Aunt Helen & Cousin Harold. Some of the people in the background I have not seen in 50 years. What a great visit!
Jerilyn and I leave for Nags Head ( NC) tomorrow morning for a few days of celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary. But, before we leave, I will be going with my Uncle KD and his wife Mary, to get the results of his MRI. We are praying that his cancer has not returned.
Well, guess I had better close. Thanks for reading.
Tommy
“Bored people, unless they sleep a lot, are cruel.”Renata Adler
