A Slice From the Eclipse Trip

 It's been something of a while.

We visited Texas for the 2024 Solar Eclipse, and it was great. More on that later.

On our way back we stayed in the town of Plainview, Texas. had supper at the Cotton Patch Cafe (highly recommended - I didn't finish my meal, but no fault of theirs - the waiter even managed to get the kitchen staff to scrape the bottom of the pot for the last of the jalapeno gravy for my chicken fried steak. Great stuff!)

But, more about them when I can do them justice.

The Next Morning, we were looking around for breakfast. Apart from a donut shop, there was nothing on this side of Plainview that served a real breakfast. Except McDonald's.

And the McDonald's was GREAT!

This is what greets you when you drive up:

And, true, it's the typical Micky Dee's breakfast menu, but these folks take pride in doing it right. Coffee was great. And they are not afraid to help a body out. When we went up to order seconds, the menu had just changed to Lunch, but they accommodated us by putting together two more breakfast sandwiches (plus hash browns) for us.

This handsome fellow was especially helpful (Corey, by name):

Corey (the Man!)

He was very helpful. He had a pleasant and sunny attitude in a job where, let's be frank, has more than it's share of cranky customers (I should know. Unfortunately, I can be one of them).

All in all, he and they made breakfast a wonderful experience.

And you gotta love a place that doesn't take Ronald too seriously!

McRib on the hoof

If I'm ever again in Plainview, I will definitely look them up!

(Their address is 815 N I-27, Plainview, TX 79072.)

If you are ever down that way, you should look them up. too! 

Yes, You Can!

"What's in a Note, you say?"

Folks have asked me (well, one person anyway) what was in the note I would have stuck on the guy's windshield the other day. Well, here it is:

STOP!
Don't throw this away!
The life you save may be your own!

I have to tell you something very important. But for you to see how important it is I have to tell you what I saw a little while ago

I was heading west on the bypass, doing the limit when something zoomed by. At first I thought it was a state patrol car, and wondered how I had missed the flashing lights.

But, no. It was a little red Mitsubishi sports sedan.

The driver zipped over to the left lane, hugging the bumper of the car in front of him, and the absolute moment he could he dashed in front of me to race down the mile or so of free space in the right lane.

I saw his brake lights come on as he came up on the next car.

Then I saw something amazing: he started to signal a left lane change. he squeezed in between two big bruiser-type pick-up trucks that had barely a car length between them. I saw what the driver couldn't: the truck behind hit it's brakes to allow a safety margin for the Mitsubishi to get in.

Then, as we all slowed down for the red light I saw why the Mitsubishi driver sqeezed back into the fast lane: he needed to take the left at the light to (I imagine) take the Johnstown Cutoff to get to Denver. And I pulled up even with the little red sports car in my '72 Olds as we both sat at the light.

For all of his maneuvering, he gained nothing that just staying in the "fast lane" would have gotten him. And he would have risked (in terms of life and limb) NOTHING!

As it was he risked a minimum of a two-car accident, possibly a multi-car pile up (everyone in the fast lane was ignoring proper following distance), just to shave a few seconds off his trip time.

Which didn't work.

By now my story might be sounding a little familiar. It should. You see, I was able to read the license tag as the Mitsubishi zipped into my lane: 000-ZZZ (plate number changed to protect identity). That's your tag.

What I need to tell you:

Don't Kill Yourself (or others) to save a few seconds time. Most of the drivers in our neck of the woods aren't expecting Indy 500 speeds on the highways, and may react badly to the sudden hazard (YOU). Even if you're not directly involved in an accident, you might be an indirect cause of one, Or you may have been already.

Slow down. Follow those "boring" traffic safety rules. Live long enough to enjoy your prosperity.

And, if you really need the speed: Drive the Autobahn, or take up closed-track racing.

But please, in the interest of your life and ours: Be Careful Out There!

If I do get the chance to post the note on his windshield I think I have a better chance of his reading it than if I post a "You Stupid @#$%#$!" type of note. What do you think?

Imagine getting a note like that on your car. Even better, imagine leaving a note like that on someone else's!

Maybe the driver will read this and see himself, and take heed. I DID take down the plate number. Maybe I'll get a chance to leave the note some day.

By the way, to write this note I used priciples I learned from reading two books: Hypnotic Writing; by Joe Vitale, and The Adweek Copywriting Handbook; by Joe Sugarman (see the book list at the left). Hopefully I was able to catch your attention enough so you would finish the note.

Meanwhile, a couple of things for you to take away today: You can get a handle on your emotions. You can learn to write more effectively. You can achieve your goals.

Yes, You Can!

Focus

There's a story that's told around nighttime campfires after evening meals are finished:

The old Chief speaks to his young boys before they are to be brought into the tribe as men. "Inside me, there are two wolves," he says, "One is viscous, evil and hating. He will rip and destroy anything and everything he can. The other is good, kind and loving, protecting the best he can his family and friends. Each day they battle within me. It is the same with each of you." One of the boys asks, "Grandfather, which wolf will win?" I'll tell you his answer in a moment.

What do you focus on? Do you let the guy who cut you off in traffic ruin your day? Or do you let it be an occasion to practice patience? Do you even sometimes let it be an opportunity to practice your writing skills? What do you do?

Every time you focus on the wrong done to you (sometimes in all innocence, let it be said), you raise your blood pressure, heart rate, and stress. Shifting the focus from the wrong done to possible solutions can help.

Let me tell you what I mean: a short time ago I noticed that people would put their trash out of their car on the ground and drive off -- even when a trash can was near to hand. This would happen in the parking lot of the place I work. I would growl and cuss and mutter: "What's going on with these know-nothing so-and-sos," and generally enter my workplace with a sour attitude that would take me some time to work out. Sometimes I would need the entire day. And, of course I'd see more of the same when I left the building.

One day, it hit me that I was part of the problem.

That very day, I started picking up the stray trash I found in the lot as I made my way into work. Since I park at the far corner, sometimes that was a LOT of trash.

Some of you think I'm crazy for doing this, that it is ultimately utterly pointless to pick up the trash I find. I am making only a very small dent in a very big problem. In that last, you'd be right.

But for the rest, you'd be wrong.

Listen to the good things it did for me: I became a happier person because I felt: a) I left the parking lot a little better than I found it; b) maybe someone would follow my example and help; c) maybe the people leaving the trash might notice and realize it doesn't "just go away" (alright, that's a long shot, I admit it).

That happier person (me) generally isn't as sour as before. I smile more at people. More people smile back (imagine that!). My blood pressure went down a bit (every bit helps). Best part: I could start untying some of the knots I'd gotten myself tied into.

And that was just the first step.

I could go on, but maybe you get the point.

You could list all the reasons I should be grumpy. Believe me, my list is longer than yours. I've read and re-read it several times and more things keep appearing.

I've decided to break the habit of picking nits and adding to the list of grievances. Instead, I want to add to the list of things that make me smile: warm days and cool breezes, a full moon on Christmas Eve, little girl giggles, friendly smiles.

Yeah, I'll backslide. But I'm getting better at keeping my focus where it belongs. Our little girl saying 'Hello' to the moon this evening when we got home heads the "Smile" list today. Simple and sweet. And that list keeps getting longer, too!

By the way, the old chief answered, "The one that you feed."
I try to keep a happy face for our little girl, especially when she thinks it's her fault when I feel bad. I've lived the habit of guilt; she doesn't need to. She already has her loving and giving nature. She doesn't need guilt to do the right thing.

Speaking of doing the right thing,

Yes, you can.