Cooler Thoughts

Reading how hot it is around the country, for relief I let my mind wander to cooler days of yore.  At a cafe in a small town in the mountains of Idaho, some older gentlemen were having coffee on a snowy morning.

Their conversation ranged vastly.  From fishing in the spring, shoveling snow, what they had for dinner last night, to overhauling a lawn mower engine.  Apparently old Don has had the same mower since the sixties, and keeps rebuilding it.  “Ya can’t buy mowers like that anymore. “ He stated with authority.  “The new ones have too many plastic pieces and they fall apart.”  Another man chimed in, “Why are you talking about lawn mowers? It’s snowing out there, man! Do you know anything about snow blowers?”

The first man shook his head, “I don’t need a snowblower, I’ve got a good shovel.” Another man laughed, “Is that the same shovel you bought in the sixties?” They all had a good laugh about that.

They told jokes. spoke of fun things, and serious topics too. The conversation turned to frozen pizza; which brand was the best.  “What do you want on your Tombstone?” One man joked.  That led to conversation about how they wanted to be remembered when they’re gone - what they wanted people to say about them.  It was fun listening, to say the least.

On my way out, I commented to the group, that I found their conversation to be quite interesting especially the last part.  One man asked me, “What would you like to hear people say about you when you’re gone?”

I rubbed my chin, thought for a moment, then answered. “I guess I’d like to hear the undertaker tell his assistant, ‘Tom pulled a lot of pranks in his time.  You better check for a pulse one more time before embalming him!’”

We all shared a hearty laugh.  I offered salutations for a good day, then headed to the counter to pay for my breakfast.  At the register, I asked the waitress to put their coffees on my tab. “What about their donuts?”  She asked. “I’ll get those as well.” I answered.

Outside,  I stretched my arms out like wings on an airplane and turned a full circle taking in the beauty of the mountains all around me. I tilted my head back, pointing my nose upward toward the snowy sky and did another turn.

Snow flakes fell, and melted on my face, cooling my cheeks.  I managed to catch a few on my tongue as well. They were delicious! Taking a deep breath of fresh air, I gave thanks for the beautiful day, and for the men inside who entertained me during breakfast.   “Life is good.” I said, then got in my car and drove away.

It is hot today. Thoughts and good memories of wintertime might help cool you down and bring a smile to your face. It worked for me.

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