So it just now occurs to me that Rob Schnieder, aka “Duce Bigelow, Male Gigolo,” was once on Saturday Night Live. Yes, the seasons with John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Errol Morris, and all the rest were better seasons than the ones with Rob Schnieder. But you can’t choose when you are born or what the cast on SNL will be when you are willing, able, and sober enough to watch the show. But I digress. Yes, right from the start, I digress.
What I wanted to tell you about was my trip to the print shop. First of all, printers are weird people. Right up there with hardware store owners from back in the day. Kind of socially awkward and somewhat caustic people. I sort of get all that, and can appreciate it because I’m a Gemini and as much as I love people, I need time to myself. Hey, two digressions for the price of one. Anyway, I went on in to the print shop and waited to pick up my order as an older lady complained about the cold weather. After she left and I transacted my business, an older gentleman came in and complained about the cold. The printer guy, in an effort to get along with all these old people who are so cold, made a comment about our not being in charge of the weather. The older gentleman agreed that this was correct, since Jesus is. Apparently I did not respond quickly enough, because I was then handed a pocket calendar advertising the older gentlemen’s used furniture business as well as a business card reminding me that if I forgot Jesus I would loose everything.
I’ve lived in the South all my life, and I could probably count on one hand the number of times I have been proselytized to by a stranger in public. And I mean directly to me, not being caught in the blast pattern of a street preacher. Usually it has been by older gentlemen, and not in some sort of creepy way. This particular gentleman seemed to think, “hey, this young man seems nice enough. I think it would be a shame if he were not saved.” Regardless of my deep reservations about “saving” people, public proselytization, and assumptions about my personal standing in relationship to the Almighty, I have to say that I appreciate the thought not to mention the guts it takes to be so open about what you believe. And I have to admit that the old guy warmed my day a little bit. Not easy to do when the high is around 25 degrees.