Humpday Happenings (Turkey Day Edition)...
Before we get started, I KNOW all of you have been on the edge of your computer chairs wondering HOW I made out with the garage door opener.
(...yawn...not really, Bob, but I've got a feeling you're gonna tell us anyway, so let's get it over with, 'K?)
Well, after calling the repair guy and having him come out, he found that it was the RECEIVING unit (that black box...what is this damn thing, a flight recorder?) attached to the rear of the "head" assembly (where the motor, pulley and gears all party hardy). He jumped out the contacts and the door went up....and back down when he repeated the action.
SUH-WEET...it's not the remote.
CRAP...it's the receiver. (which is hard to come by, as it's relatively obsolete now)
He took the unit with him to see if it can be fixed (circuit problem), and in the meantime, I have a "tried and true" method for opening and closing the door....
(think about how you "boost" a car without a key - a must if you want to graduate high school in Philly)...
That's right, I HOT-WIRE it open (and closed). Got me two nice wires that I touch and PRESTO...magic time.
And at NO time did my hands leave my wrists.
I'm also looking into snagging some "spares", as in an updated "newer" version of the receiver that IS compatible with the current technology.
Never hurts to BE PREPARED...ask any Boy Scout!
So there we are...they can slow me down, but it's damn hard to STOP me, even at my age...LOL.
(And if YOU ever have a problem with YOUR garage door, feel free to ask me about it.)
I'm still learning things in life the practical way - by EXPERIENCE.
*** Meanwhile, back at the turkey farm...
Tomorrow is the big (meal) day in many households, and a time when family gets together to share the bounty.
Many are not as fortunate, either by circumstance, or by design.
For some, it's not about life crapping on them, for they manage to see the reason and the good for why things happen.
And they are no different that many that came before our generation.
They persevere...they struggle, and they make it through the rough times.
Others wander around through life, not having a care in the world for others or even themselves.
No matter what special time of year it is, there are "those" who keep alive the phrase:
"Crime never takes a holiday."
We'll see shop-lifting, robberies, burglaries all for the sake of satisfying some perverted need, when in fact, it's giving in to more of a "want", than anything else.
Now ALL of us "want" something.
Maybe we WANT to just wake up today (always near the top of MY list), or perhaps we just WANT a nice holiday. Others just WANT to have enough food to feed their family, or even a coat to brace themselves against winter's impending chill. No matter what the case may be, there has to be a clear understanding of what that WANT is.
To many poor people, their "want" is indeed a true NEED.
They need to sustain themselves, and they need to be warm.
And perhaps most of all, they need to know that they're not forgotten.
Now I tend to believe this is one of the "big-ticket" items of the holiday season....not to be forgotten.
There used to be a old black preacher that stood at the bottom of the stairs leading to the train I used to take from Center City ages ago (in Philly), and I'd usually give him some change, and he'd smile and thank me. It wasn't much, but it was SOMETHING.
The preacher's clothes were well worn...you could tell that straight away. A bit of fraying about the collar, and maybe some pulled threads here and there, but he never wavered when it came to smiling for whatever money found it's way into his hat. And he could sing a hymn really well.
And I remember so vividly that one year, as I went down the stairs, I thought about the time of year...it was the holiday season...this time of year.
I stopped in front of him, dug out my wallet, and placed a $10 bill in the hat (and that was back in the 70s...when $10 was a lot more than today).
And it was at that moment that something wonderful happened...
The preacher stopped singing, and the noise that was all around at rush hour seemed to fade; the cold weather wasn't as cold, and it was just the preacher...and me.
I could see tears forming in the preacher's eyes, as he looked at me and said through a quiet voice that broke slightly "Thank you, Son...God bless you".
Now, I've always been a God-fearing person, and I know that several times in my seemingly many lives, I should have passed through the Pearly Gates, but this was one of THOSE moments...a moment of clarity...a moment of understanding (on my part) and appreciation and love on the preacher's part.
He didn't know me, and I didn't know him, but at that moment...we knew where each of us was coming from.
Here were two people as diverse as the day was long...who were not forgotten. We related to one another. By one action and a few words, volumes were spoken between us.
Yeah, life can toss some pretty amazing stuff at you, especially when you're not expecting it.
At times like these, we get a glimmer of what it means to be all IN ONE FAMILY, namely, the human race.
And, it's times like this we come to understand who WE are, and how much WE can affect others, no matter how small the effort.
When we give from the heart, the reward is greater than we can ever imagine.
For we don't see the far-reaching effects of that giving...we only see the immediate net result.
I don't know where the $10 went that day after it went into the preacher's hat...that's wasn't my worry.
Maybe it went to feed someone in the preacher's family, or his congregation.
Perhaps it provided warmth to a shut-in, or a toy to some needy child.
What I DO know, is that one minuscule act on my behalf made me feel...GOOD.
And it's that GOOD kinda good...you know what I'm talking about.
The type of good where you have even God smiling.
Come to think of it, I must have had a dumb-ass grin on my face all the way home, and I didn't care.
Sometimes, it IS about someone else, and it can be a total stranger.
Sometimes, it IS about appreciation...and gratitude.
And tomorrow, when you're all together and enjoying whatever awaits you at whatever abode you find yourselves, take a minute to think about how much ALL of us have to be thankful for.
It's not about the paycheck, or the house, or the car, or even all the other possessions we have accumulated over the years...
It's about US...you and me and all those in our respective families.
It's about being thankful for living in a great nation where we enjoy a level of freedom unparalleled.
It's about people willing to make sacrifices to ENSURE that freedom.
It's about all of us, taking those moments to look into a preacher's eyes at rush hour.
It's about us doing the right things...for the right reasons.
All of this, and so much more is what we all have to be thankful for.
Even the poorest among us are thankful...because there are people like US still around that give a damn.
And if by chance you come upon an old thread-worn preacher singing at the bottom of some commuter stairway with a hat to collect some money, toss in a ten-spot. You'll be very glad you did.
*** Tomorrow, some of "my" remembrances of Thanksgiving traditions, past and present.
In the meantime:
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.