Living a purposeful life doesn't always have to do with working or how much we accomplish. Sometimes, it just means living in the moment. Today was one of those days.
This morning, Steve ran errands and then we drove to Maryville to pick up our eyeglass prescriptions. After that, we went to lunch at a restaurant a friend of Steve's had recommended,
the Midland Restaurant. It's an old place, established sometime in the fifties according to a lady sitting next to us on a long communal bench with several individual tables in front of it. She started talking to us when she heard us ask our server what she would recommend on the menu. According to both of them, there could be no wrong choices. The lady dining next to us told us that she knew this restaurant because her mother was the cook there during the fifties and sixties. She told us that her mother was a tiny little lady at 4' 9" but she was feisty. She said that the orders were placed on this round hoop and her mom had to jump up to pull them off. She continued to tell us more about her mom, who lived to ninety-four, and the rest of her family including the cousin who preached all of their funerals. He made the service a time of celebration and laughter and few tears as he always shared and asked those gathered to share the funniest stories about the deceased. She said however that she didn't want him preaching her funeral because he knew her too well.
Several dishes were recommended by both Kelly, our waitress, and our friendly neighbor but we both chose the pork medallions. We were not disappointed! Those were the best pork chops I've had since my mother passed twenty-eight years ago. They were tender and so flavorful. Mary, who replaced Kelly as her shift ended, told us that they were particularly good with breakfast with biscuits and gravy. We plan a trip back soon to try that.
After lunch, we took the more rural and scenic route home through my dad's old stomping ground as a young boy, Greenback. It's a lovely drive and I saw several antique stores and greenhouses that I plan on checking out at a future date.
Neither of us slept well last night so we both needed a nap when we got home. I put the book I've been reading on speech and fell asleep a few pages in. After I woke up, and the book was still playing, I backtracked to the last page I remembered and started reading. I spent the rest of my afternoon, reading that book. That in itself is an accomplishment. I use to be an avid reader. I would finish two to three books a week and still have time for a life. Now, my reading is usually only done at bedtime and then, only until I get sleepy which doesn't take long. It can take me a month to finish a book and that's only if I find it interesting. I remember my journalism professor, Dr. Verle Barnes saying to me that he didn't understand the desire to speed read because he wanted to take his time and truly relish each word and phrase. A writer himself, he felt that the effort put into the book should be appreciated and honored. He passed many years ago in a tragic accident and I truly miss my mentor and friend. I feel that, in a small way, my taking the time again to enjoy reading honors not only the writer but him.
When I finished my book, I decided to take Bodie for a walk. He of course was overjoyed and I made an effort to appreciate all the beauty around me and the way it effected each of my senses, the smells, the sounds, the feel of the sun on my skin and of course all that my clear new eyeglasses allowed me to see.
