The Purple Cow

Sadly, it looks like the ending of an era. Perhaps, something can be done to stop the changes, perhaps not. I have read the letter that the Forest Hills powers-that-be sent to the community. I don't really get it, but, I guess business is business, and to paraphrase a quote from a most famous movie, "I don't know nothing about no business."  It makes me sad that The Purple Cow may no longer be. Oh, they say that another convenience store will be there, but it won't be The Purple Cow.

Across Otter Creek Road from The Cow is a building. I attended church in that building for years, but just as that building is not my church, so The Granny White Market will no longer be The Purple Cow, because Dan and Debra ARE The Purple Cow.

Dan knows the names of all his customers. He not only knows their names, he knows their stories.....and he remembers them. I cannot count how many times over the years I have been there to buy gas, often saying, "Mr. L will be by later to pay."  If he owes you seven cents in change and has no pennies, he will give you a dime. Plenty of times I walked in there without my purse and was a bit short in funds, and Dan would say, "you can bring it later."

I love Sugar Daddy suckers. I mean there was a time when I bought one at The Purple Cow every Sunday and other days as well. Dan made sure he had them. One year he ordered a whole box for Mr. L to give me as a Christmas present. Dan also remembers that I like Bit-o-Honeys, but is always a bit puzzled when I buy those instead of the favored Sugar Daddy.

School children from many schools have for years stopped at The Purple Cow before school for breakfast and after school for a treat. It was a daily occurrence when my children were in pre-school. It has been for many youngsters, now adults, who take their own children there. I know Max will miss "his bench" where he and Fizzy sometimes sit to enjoy an Icee before Max goes home from his Sunday "play date" at our house; a sweet tradition that will not be the same. My Minnesota girls always go by to see Mr. Dan when they visit. They will be profoundly disappointed by his absence, as will many of us.

So many memories of Debra's beautiful face as she greets patrons. We have had many conversations, especially about back pain and surgeries. We have mutual friends. She has a kindness that radiates from her lovely countenance. If the deed is done, and The Purple Cow is no more, I will miss her. We will remain friends on FB and I will keep up with her beloved pets, and her compassion for all living beings. Still, it is not the same as seeing her in the store.

I do not frequent The Cow as often as I once did. Life, it seems, has been taking me in other directions. One thing I know for sure, I will be going there more often in the upcoming weeks. I will eat more Sugar Daddies. I will try to convey to Dan and Debra how they make a difference in the neighborhood, how their place in this big city exudes small-town community.  This world could use a whole lot more Purple Cows and Dans and Debras.

If, and I continue to say "if" for I am the eternal optimist, but, if The Purple Cow is taken over by some other store and Dan and Debra are not the proprietors, it may be "convenient" but it will not be our Purple Cow.

For today, I wish you a place of memory-making, a delicious Sugar Daddy, people like Dan and Debra in your lives, and I wish you

Blessings

Unsung Hero

"Unsung hero;" that is what she called me. I looked up the actual definition: "A person who makes a substantive yet unrecognized contribution". Sweet, you say?  Following is the rest of the story. You decide. 

During a conversation with someone who had not scored as well on the ACT as he had wished, I explained that some of the smartest people I know do not excel on standardized tests. Putting so much emphasis on test scores is one of the most frequent complaints we hear from educators as well as students. It seems there are so many other, more dependable, avenues available to determine someone's aptitude and potential for success.

This reliance on tests is not particularly new as in 1974, I took a test. It was called the Civil Service Test, given by the U.S. Government to determine who is cut out to do government work. Please do not think CIA or FBI, but rather jobs a bit more mundane. Mr. L and I were newlyweds, he was about to start law school in a town where we knew no one, and neither of us had jobs. I had a degree in history with an education minor (that's how they did it in those days) with an emphasis in secondary education (think middle and high school).  I did actually gain an interview with the school system, but did not get hired. There is no mystery as to why I was not hired. The interviewee, after attempts to put me at ease, said, "I have three questions I would like for you to answer," followed by his stating them. As soon as it was my turn to answer them, well, let's just say, I could not remember even one of them. Probably the only way I could have made a worse impression would have been to vomit on his shoes, which in the moment felt like a very real possibility.

The old adage, "we can live off love," neither pays rent nor buys food, so one of us needed to become gainfully employed. Since Mr. L was going to be in school, it was up to me; thus, I found myself in a big room taking a long Civil Service Test with lots of other employee wannabes.

In all my spatial deficiencies, I can really take standardized tests. I cannot figure out how to get from here to there twice in a row, but I am an ace at telling which box comes next in a sequence; a life skill that I only get to use when taking FB IQ tests. It just doesn't come up all that often in my day to day life. My score on the test was excellent. It was so stellar that I was offered an immediate position.

Friday night, I was telling this story in the car as we were driving home. With great enthusiasm I told the occupants of the car that I was offered an immediate and high paying position as an air traffic controller in Texas. "Oklahoma," Mr. L countered. "Ah, what's the difference?"

That is when she called me an unsung hero. "Think of all the lives you saved by not taking that job!"

Blessings