Easin' Along

Even though I love to eat and seem to have hunger pangs about every four hours, I have never really known true hunger. I have faced a challenge or two since the day I came into this world over 69 years ago, but an access to food and an abundance of it has never been one of them.  As embarrassing as it is to admit, I have never thought much about it other than to acknowledge daily that I am blessed in so many ways. Nevertheless, I don’t often pause to specify those blessings individually. This week, hunger came into focus.

On Monday, as I was sitting around doing the stuff that old retired guys do (checking sports scores, planning lunch, watching neighbors walk by) I received a call from my dear friend John who said he needed a favor. John and I go back a long way and have known each other since high school days when we worked on a pipeline crew for several summers. He also gave me a helping hand about twenty-five years ago when I desperately needed one, but that’s a story for another day.  If John needed a favor, I was all in.

Periodically John and his wife, Judy, volunteer to deliver food for Fish, an organization that provides food to individuals and families in Knoxville and surrounding areas. Judy had another commitment on delivery day and John asked if I could fill in. I said I would meet him as soon as my exercise class (more retired guy stuff) ended.

Fish is a remarkable non-profit, all-volunteer organization that serves food and other needed items to nearly 11,000 families a month from four locations in Knoxville and several associate locations in struggling communities nearby.  Fish provides food to anyone who asks for it in a non-judgemental way. There is no concern about whether it is deserved.

The church that John and I both attend supports the Fish organization by encouraging members of our congregation to donate needed food and personal items and cash contributions. Our church also provides volunteers to gather donated items and items supplied by Fish and organize them based on the needs of the recipients into bags and containers. Volunteers then deliver those containers to families and individuals who are unable to come to the Fish Pantry. That was our job for the afternoon.

We arrived at the church and were met by a group of volunteers who had organized items for delivery.  Several volunteers had already departed with about half of the day’s deliveries, but I was impressed with the amount of food that remained and with how efficient everything was organized and staged. The bags John and I were to deliver were pointed out to us and we were handed information sheets containing the names and addresses of the four families we were assigned. Each bag was filled with items requested by the family such as food items like cereal, or peanut butter for example, or personal items like shampoo or diapers. Each bag was numbered and the numbers were listed on the sheets we were given.

Each of the four families on our assignment lived in the same housing complex and after we loaded the bags in John’s car we got directions and moved out. It was a beautiful day and I felt blessed to be out and about in it. It didn’t really matter where we were going…I felt we were heading in a good direction.

The complex was located on a busy street within a mile of downtown.  Without counting, I would estimate that there were approximately forty apartments in the complex.  We took advantage of the good directions given by a resident and found the first apartment with no difficulty. A lady greeted us with a warm smile and a very friendly voice.  John was carrying the bags for this family and placed them on a kitchen counter.  A gentleman was laying on the couch and appeared to be ill. Both were extremely grateful and thanked us profusely.

We were met at the second apartment by a lady and her small but very active dog.  She too was very welcoming and then said she recognized us.  It turns out that she had visited our church on occasion and had seen us there.  We encouraged her to come back for another visit. I gave her the bags I was carrying, gave her dog a quick pat and turned to leave, but the busy little pooch scooted out the door before I could close it.  In the hallway, a gentleman coming up the steps rescued the little fellow and took him back to his owner. With the crisis averted, we again said goodbye and moved on.

At the third apartment, we met a peppy lady wearing big glasses and a scarf around her head.  The apartment was minimally furnished and she asked us to place the items on the floor which I did.  She had a big smile the entire time we were there but said that she was about to have surgery for a second time on her shoulder. We left after a short but very lively conversation about a variety of subjects. I thought to myself that I hoped her surgery goes well because this would be one lady who would find it difficult to slow down.

A lady wearing a scarf around her shoulders opened the door at our last apartment and as she struck up a conversation with John, a young lady appearing to be in her twenties stuck her head out of an apartment across the hall.  She looked at me and quietly asked if we had a bag for her. When I said that I didn’t she gave me a forlorn look then turned and closed before I could tell her about Fish. For the rest of the day, I thought more about her than the families we served.  I pray she wasn’t hungry.

In the end, John did me a bigger favor than I did for him. I’m blessed and grateful that I had this opportunity.  There is a lot more to do in this world than old retired guy stuff. I better be Easin’ Along. 

Almost two years ago I posted an article stating that there was one aspect of my lifestyle that would not change after I retired.  That one aspect was a devotion to attending University of Tennessee football games—something I had done since I was around eight years old. There were plenty of things that would change like waking to an alarm clock or dreading Mondays, but during football season, I would be seated in Neyland Stadium, Section JJ, Row 1, Seat 7 or 8, just as I had every year since 1976. Eventually, that firm position evolved into a different stance and this year we finally gave up our season tickets…I can’t believe I’m writing those words. The reasons for the change were many, and retirement contributed. A few of the reasons are listed below.

Parking was always difficult.  I’m too tight to pay a ridiculous sum for parking close to the stadium and didn’t relish the idea of walking long distances back to our car after a night game. A few years back, a new garage was opened within blocks of the stadium and offered parking at a reasonable price. I purchased one spot and kept it for two years before the University realized that this situation was too good for “normal people”. The University leased the garage on football weekends and reserved it for big donors.  That was probably the beginning of the end for me.

Another factor leading to this decision was that many of the games are now played at night. A game that starts at 7:30 or 8:00 can lead to a very long day.  Added to the late start time are the delays for television time-outs and the ridiculously long delays for someone to review calls by the referees. Many games will last beyond midnight. Also, there is the potential for overtime periods when any true fan would hate to leave yet know that the end of a game could be very late.

The march toward this decision probably began before I wrote the previous article.  Helen (adorable wife) long ago gave up attending the games against “lesser” opponents, preferring instead to listen to the radio while puttering in the yard or watching on television while working a puzzle. She would attend some of the bigger games, but eventually, even those games lost their appeal.

None of the above has done anything to quell my passion for Tennessee football. I am a true “homer” and still bleed Orange and White.  Our team is struggling somewhat this year, but I am no less a fan because of it. In reading over my post from two years ago (Click here for link), I realized how much I miss seeing all the friends I made in Section JJ. Some of them were real characters and a whole lot of fun.  I miss that pageantry of college football and the bands that no longer are shown on television so that some opinionated pundit may have precious TV time.

I miss tailgating before the afternoon games. Some fans are excellent at tail-gate cooking and creating the places to entertain and serve their delicious recipes.  I still have some cooking gear I purchased especially for tail-gating that I now use for camping. I miss the steady rise in the enthusiasm of our fans as game-time approaches. 

In the end, the contribution retirement made to this change was our new lifestyle and the opportunity we now have for travel.  We have learned that our favorite time to be on the road is the fall and over the past two years, we have missed several games as a result.  One of my most memorable experiences was watching Tennessee play football on my MacBook on the front porch of a Lodge in Great Pond, Maine. We lost the game, but the view beyond the screen softened the blow considerably.

Betty, our RV has two televisions and a connector for either cable or satellite.  Those connections, plus one more for an Apple TV device, almost assure that we can watch a game from just about anywhere without missing a snap. In addition, I have a very comfortable Big Daddy recliner in our great room positioned in front of a large flat screen HDTV. The refrigerator is a few short steps away and the beer is always good and always cold. Ultimately it was the flat screen that won out over parking hassles and nighttime football.

I am certain that I will attend games again in the future. I didn’t become less of a fan–I just got a better seat…with a view. Gotta be Easin’ Along—I want to get the recliner ready…we play Alabama next week.