I love that quote from Dr Seuss - it sums up so much in my life.
Last week I attended an annual picnic of a community group
here in town I have been a part of for a few years now.
The Historic Connersville Inc. organization is dedicated to
preserving history and the landmarks that represent that aspect of Connersville
and Fayette County.
We were pausing in our Bicentennial Celebration prep efforts
in order to fellowship with other members and invite new members into the fold.
I was unexpectedly joined at the table by a very attractive
gentleman.
He sat across from me and immediately engaged me in
conversation.
He introduced himself simply as Jonathon.
As it was a very hot day here in Indiana, he began his comments
with the comparison of Texas and Indiana’s climates.
I agreed with his observations and said so.
This advanced the conversation the whole evening from the
merits of different modes of transportation to possibilities one chose as
entertainment choices in life and everything in between.
We had talked about trains with impromptu quizzes for each
other about locomotive trivia, since we both knew that Thomas the Tank Engine
was in town, and of course we both have a passion for the Whitewater Valley
Railroad Company.
We had talked of Six Flags St Louis and the fact that we had
both spent many exciting occasions there in our pasts.
The gentleman asked me of various activities I had enjoyed
in St Louis while living there.
I was over joyed at the opportunity to share this jewel, in
my opinion, as THE entertainment vacation destination secret.
Music and movies naturally developed as part of the
conversation.
My dinner companion adeptly connected our previous topics in
one fell swoop.
“What is your opinion of Tonto?”
“Um….?”
He, for the first time the entire evening, had lost me.
“Have you ever seen the Lone Ranger shows on T.V.? THAT
Tonto!”
As if there was ever any other….
I was still not following his stream of consciousness yet.
“Yes…?”
“WELL! Johnny Depp is Tonto!”
“Um…I, I don’t think he was, Jonathon.”
“HE IS! He IS! Though!”
I sat there with my mouth open and a kind smile upon my face
as best I could manage.
Behind my smiling eyes, my mind was rapidly assessing the
situation.
Jonathon’s insistence was bordering on the hysterical.
This was totally out of left field.
The typical participant in this group can be described in
varying degrees as eccentric, but Jonathon was certainly not the typical
participant, and before this unexpected outburst I would not have described him
in any remote way as eccentric.
Spirited, intelligent, energetic, and handsome he most
definitely was, but not eccentric.
“THE MOVIE! Sue! THE MOVIE!”
Others were beginning to notice the conversation now.
“Are you referring to the old movies before my time Jonathon?”
“OH! Gosh, NO! There is a new one coming out soon!”
In a flash certain quips and comments my friends had been
making as of late came zooming back to my mind.
They had been referring to THIS.
I instantly knew I was way out of the loop and one of my
favorite movies was about to be played out this summer and I may have missed it
had it not been for my new found friend!
“OH, I am sorry Jonathon. I have been on a BIT of a media
fast for the last few weeks and obviously I chose an inopportune time!”
Everyone at our table snapped their heads in my direction.
THIS got their uninterrupted attention.
My media fast.
Not Jonathon’s almost hysterical insistence that Johnny Depp
IS Tonto, but my media fast.
I told you our group is a bit eccentric.
Jonathon placed his hands upon the table and pushed himself
back so that he could take a clearer gander at my newly exposed alien life
form.
“A MEDIA FAST?! But WHY?!”
Others began to question me…
How do you get your news?
Weather reports?
You are obviously posting on your web outlets- we’ve been
reading them! ….how do you generate ideas without media?!
SSSSSCCCCCCRRRRRREEEEEEAAAAAAACCCCCCCCHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
That was the sound of my mind slipping gear from mild
mannered historian and journalist to Libertarian Woman, fortressed on the Mount
of the U.S. Constitution and armed with the hammer that is the Bill of Rights.
That tiny little thing I call my brain finally shouted and
grabbed my mouth!
Make your point succinctly, quickly, and move on to another
topic, BUT make your point!
“That last question is precisely WHY and HOW.”
Our fellow table companions were totally perplexed, shook
their heads, and turned back to their own conversations.
Jonathon leaned across the table at me and sincerely asked
the question “WHY would any thinking person need the media to have ideas!?”
That is the exact moment I fell in love with Jonathon.
“I DO NOT KNOW” I somehow replied though adoring eyes.
Jonathon left off that “train of thought” and proceeded to
tie Johnny Depp, Tonto, and the Whitewater Valley Railroad together for me.
“In the trailers I have viewed on many occasions Tonto,
really Johnny Depp, uses the mail hook in a stunt that I have always wanted to
try on the Whitewater Valley Railroad.”
“Jonathon, I think Lumpy, and the guys down at the rail
yards, would strongly discourage us from that activity – UNLESS they could
incorporate it into the Train Robbery excursion and generate more visitors!”
We both laughed loudly.
Jonathon took this opportunity to make his move.
“Right now I am here visiting my mother’s family. I live in
northern Indiana. Maybe I can come down on another visit when the movie is
playing and I can take you to view it with me.”
“Who is your mother?”
“Laura XXXXXX…”
I smiled.
I knew Laura very well long ago.
“I went to school with Laura, Jonathon.”
“Did you?! Great, then she won’t mind if we go to the movies
together.”
“She may even want to join us Jonathon. Make sure to ask
her.”
“I will. I am so glad I met you today, Sue.”
“Me too, Jonathon.”
My faith is restored in mankind and I have a shining ray of
hope for a future Libertarian gentleman about to enter third grade this fall.
(I want to interject right here that HCI is NOT a political group. It is an historical society dedicated to preserving the area's history. This is, as all postings on The Adventures At Squirrely Acres are, my personal observations, not an indication of any political affiliation on the part of HCI. I just wanted to note that BEFORE anyone misunderstands...)
