Tag Archives: Ashland Alabama

SNAKE DOCTORS, AND ALL THINGS SOUTHERN

History, Humor, Small Town America, ,

Recently I found myself enjoying the company of a friendly group of millennials relaxing together outdoors on a late summer afternoon. In the middle of our light conversation a duo of iridescent dragonflies made a sudden appearance.  The brilliant green and electric blue colors were dazzling in the afternoon sunlight.  For a few seconds no one said a word.  Then, before I could catch myself, I simply uttered out loud, “Look, snake doctors….”  

 It even surprised me.  I hadn’t said the two words “snake doctor” together in as sentence since my childhood.  The young people who heard me glanced at one another telegraphing giant question marks by their facial expressions.  All I could say was, “Oh, sorry, that’s what I called dragonflies when I was a child.”   Of course, a millennial had to ask the inevitable question, “Why?”

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TRAIN TUNNEL ROULETTE

Christian Discipleship, Humor, Small Town America, Wisdom, , , ,

Have you ever heard of Russian roulette?  Russian roulette is a wicked game (usually a drinking game) to “test one’s bravery.”  If you’re lucky, nothing will happen and you get to live to see another day. If you aren’t you move immediately to the afterlife. (I’m not sure what happens if you chicken out, but most likely it’s fatal.)

Let me be clear– I’ve never played that game, nor would I ever play it.  But have I taken stupid chances?  Have I played Russian roulette with thoughtless decision-making?  You’d  better believe I have– especially when I was young and “invincible.”  What comes to my mind is a series of events that occurred during a camping trip with four teenaged friends– at a place in the Talladega National Forest we simply called “The Train Tunnel.”

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MY BIG IDEA

Christian Discipleship, History, Small Town America, , , , , , ,

It was the Fall of 2005 when I first got the big idea.  In just over six months I would be celebrating a half-century of living and breathing on planet Earth.  One hundred years earlier life expectancy for a male in Alabama was only 39 years, so in the big scheme of things turning fifty as a healthy man was a milestone.  We Americans always extra-celebrate birthdays #1, #10, #13, #16, #21, #40, #50, #80, and hopefully #90.  After that, we celebrate the passing of months, not years.

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REFRIGERATOR PRIVILEGES

Christian Discipleship, Humor, Small Town America, , ,

(Caution:  This blog post might contain never before heard confessions.  Please don’t laugh out loud.)

I’m certain you have heard it said of someone, “Oh, they’re close. They’re just like family.”  Oh really?  Are you sure?  Here’s the way to know if they’re really “just like family”– do they have the right to walk into your house and go straight to the refrigerator and get what ever they want to eat or drink?  Do they feel comfortable doing that in your home?  Do YOU feel comfortable allowing them to do that?  If the answer to all three questions is YES, then they are indeed “just like family.”  They have “refrigerator privileges!”

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TRAINING WHEELS AND ROADBLOCKS

Christian Discipleship, Humor, Small Town America, Spiritual Growth, , , , , , ,

It has taken me fifty plus years to see it, although it was obvious to my childhood friends and family.  I never saw it in myself, but it’s true.  I was a bonafide, scaredy-cat kid.  I was overly cautious, super careful, and hesitant to take risks– at least about things that might cause bodily injury and pain.

I wasn’t hesitant to open my mouth, that’s for sure.  And I never had stage fright.  But when it came to the prospect of bodily peril, I was out.  Saying no was no problem when there was even the smell of a hazard.  It was more than just the regular childhood fears– like fearing the dark, fearing shots, fearing the dentist, etc.  Mine were fears that became major hinderances.  My fears probably kept me out of trouble in some respects, but placed unnecessary roadblocks into my life as a whole.  It was a miserable place to be, and I didn’t even recognize it.  For instance……

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