It was a slow laid back Labor Day. I had decided to spend most of my day taking in the surrounding beauty of the mountain nature at the farm. Sat outside carving the Sri Yantra design into my new drum. It was very lopsided…definitely need to work on my wood carving skills :). I practiced a few drum rhythms from YouTube, in preparation for the Asheville Drum Circle on Friday. Did a lot of research on Mindful Ecotherapy. 

Buddy and Bailee were following me around every step of the way as I mucked their stalls. Buddy even let me run my hands over his entire side. Bailee is softer though in every way…her coat, her mannerisms, the way she eats. I swear they were talking about me the whole time I was in there 🙂

Later that evening, I decided to go catch a movie in Asheville and maybe some dinner. So I went to see 20 Feet From Stardom. An awesome powerful movie. Served as a reminder that life is not always what it seems and to follow your passion even if you don’t get the instantaneous recognition you deserve for it…the reward comes from being true to yourself, to that part of you that makes your soul “sing”.

Then I went to Chestnut for dinner. It was a quiet holiday night in Asheville, very very few people milling around…so I sat outside to take it all in and reflect. I’m going over the menu, when a homeless guy comes up to me…with not one but three rabbit jokes.

“What do you call a group of rabbits going backwards?…A receding hare line.”

“How do you surprise a rabbit?…Unique up on him.”

He sits at the table next to me.

“How do you tame a rabbit?…The tame way…unique up on him.”

Then he says his intention…can I give him some spare change so he could buy a sandwich at Jimmy Johns. So I asked him if he’d rather share a meal with me here. He agreed. I don’t think he could read, but he brushed it off as the menu print was too small. So we ordered the Calamari and Kale Salad with a side of French Fries and a Sweet Tea with Lemon (he said it’s not a true sweet tea if there’s no lemon in it). He introduced himself as Bob.

Bob is maybe 56 or 57 years old. He had just gotten off the Greyhound bus from Virginia, where he used to do construction work. He told me today was his mother’s birthday and he hoped she was doing well. He talked about how he had travelled the world while he was in the Navy. The best thing he’s ever eaten was Abalone prepared by his mom, fresh caught by a scuba diver. He told me how she’d tenderize it and cook it and then give the scuba diver half of the meal. He told me about how he used to work on a cruise ship for Disney and eating squid on the deck with the crew. I asked him what was the most amazing thing that has ever happened to him…he said being born again. Said it was the most beautiful thing he’s ever experienced.

The food arrived and he wolfed it down. I ordered some extra fries for him to take with him. I sat there, watching the few people milling around town and thinking about when I was a young kid (maybe 4 or 5) questioning my mom as to whether we should give our lunch to a lady who was begging. Like most of us, my mom had been trying to ignore the vagrant and as soon as I voiced my query…the lady grabbed the food off of our table and ran off with it. I think my mom was still in shock over it when I told her See I told you she was hungry. Then I started having monkey brain…thinking about all the little things I needed to get done over the course of the next few days. You know…the little nagging thoughts that plague me every now and then. After a while, I told Bob I had to go as I had a long drive ahead of me…Madison County is about 30 mins from Asheville…not really that long, but I see fairly poorly at night. He said he’d keep me in his prayers and then decided he’d go ahead and pray right then. So he said a prayer of thanks for the food , for life and included me saying thank you for Ren and asking the Lord for Ren’s continued protection, guidance and patience on her journey. I had not mentioned anything about my journey to him…but there it was. I shook his hand and took my leave.

Got into the car, turned on the stereo and the first song was Home by Phillip Phillips

The whole evening brought a smile and goose bumps.