Walk-away Reward

There’s a new sandwich shop in town. I love to try new places, especially sandwich shops and this one is a winner. They have a gimmick and it’s a great one. The name of the place is Walk-Away Treats. I popped in a couple weeks after it opened and ordered a Belgian waffle bacon, turkey, goat cheese sandwich. It sounded delicious, and it was but there was an unexpected surprise waiting.

“Can I interest you in some walk-away bacon?”

“Huh! What? Wait!” I scratched my head. “I understand 

each of the words individually, but the phrase is confusing.”

The clerk reached in the oven and pulled out a crisp piece of

bacon. “Let me explain. All customers can have a piece of

bacon when they make a purchase. You know . . . to eat as

they walk-away.”

“Wow! What an innovative idea.” I held out my hand. “Yes, please. I’ll take one.”

He handed me the bacon strip. “It has brown sugar on it.”

I took a bite. “That’s yummy.”

“Tomorrow we’re making peppered bacon, thick slices.” He smiled. “Last week we

had chocolate dipped.”

“Really! Are you doing that this week?”

“Maybe, but I know we’re having cinnamon flavored on Thursday.”

“Wow! I think I love this place.” I took another bite of my walk-away snack. “I’d

 bring my wife over, but she’s vegetarian.”

“Oh! We have great veggie sandwiches, and we’ll give her a strip of walk-away faken

bacon.”

“Oh! Canadian bacon?”

“No, that’s still meat. Ours is made with organic vegetables.”

“Seems unfair that I get real bacon but a vegetarian gets faken bacon.”

“That’s just the way it is.” He waved his hand in a sweeping motion. “It’s called 

walk-away bacon, so you should be walking away.” He grinned. “See you Thursday.”

Being an Old Guy

When I see a photo of myself I see an old guy. The thing is I don’t feel like an old person. Yes, I have aches and pains, but I attribute that to years of activity with some injuries. Inside I don’t feel old, I feel tested, well tested but with that comes some level of achievement. 

     My mind is sharp, even though I forget a few things I’m still capable. There must be another word to use when referring to someone who has lived many years. Senior is one I’ve heard but that doesn’t tell the whole story. There is a toughness that comes with age. But also a calmness knowing that everything will be okay. An old person is not trying to impress, convince or change anyone. Old people are comfortable in their own skin, so don’t give them advice just listen to their stories. Who knows you could learn something.

     Maybe old is the right word. There just needs to be a better definition. Old is weathered, resilient, determined, tested, and approved. They’ve been there and done that, and know what’s worth doing again. Technology can confuse them but if the Internet was switched off, old guys would be the survivors. “Just Saying . . .”