People-watching, visiting and recharging the batteries

Years ago, when we first moved to Scott City, R.C. Stephens said he enjoyed going to the mall in Cape Girardeau and just sitting on one of the benches and watching people as they walked and shopped.

He said he enjoyed being there around the people.

Knowing him, he did more visiting than watching. I enjoy watching people, but I enjoy visiting with them a whole lot more.

The last place on earth I want to go, though, is a mall, where there are way too many people. I enjoy just being alone with my dog and the cats and our critters.

I grew up out in the country. We had neighbors and friends we would go and visit, but many times we were alone.

Mom and Dad would go to Ogallala to shop, and normally Mick would go along. It was about 45 miles to Ogallala.

Many times, I'd stay home. Back then, I'd almost rather be alone than go where there were quite a few people.

Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed people, but in small doses.

I really enjoyed listening to the old timers visit. They'd talk about the weather and the cattle and the horses or their gardens.

Many times in the summer, they'd visit about how the hay was growing. A few would talk about where the fish were biting and on what type of bait.

Sooner or later, they would talk about how the cattle were doing. It was cattle country, so cattle were almost always at the top of the list of topics.

Most of the time, there was only a handful together at one time. I could sit for hours and watch Grandpa play cards and visit with the other players. Usually they played pitch.

I have pastored and worked with large groups, but I still need my quiet time and my friends.

Normally, on Mondays, I'm at the farmers market in Scott City. And on most Mondays, Monte, a good friend of mine, comes down, and we visit, usually over coffee.

We talk about our gardens or the Kentucky Wildcats. Monte is a dyed-in-the-wool Wildcat fan. If you want info on one of their basketball players, just ask Monte.

We talk about the railroad. We have talked about some of the old barns scattered across the U.S.

But there are times when we just sit and enjoy each other's company and the weather.

I saw an ad the other day about some pecans for sale, so I called and found out where they were located. The ad didn't list who had the pecans for sale, but the number was a Benton number.

I figured they lived down in the sand by Benton. Well, as it turned out, they didn't. So Marge and I drove down south of Commerce and met Willie or Bill. Bought some pecans, but enjoyed visiting even more.

Turns out he is shirt- tail related to old Herbert Burger, and he used to play music for Butch Heiser.

We talked about our gardens and where we lived and the list went on and on. Enjoyed it. I may have to go back for a cup of coffee and some more visiting.

I guess what I'm driving at is that you or some of your friends may enjoy a crowd.

Some may enjoy getting together with a group and making it a big shindig. The more people there, the better.

But some also may enjoy visiting one-on-one. Once there are six or eight or 10 people there, they will find a chair on the edge of the group or a corner table to get out of the crowd where they are more comfortable.

And then there are people in between. They may like being in a crowd but at the same time feel uncomfortable if the crowd is too large.

After I've spent time in public and around a group of people, I need some alone time.

I want to lock the gate, turn off my cellphone and hibernate with my dog. I want to have a slow cup of coffee, and when that cup is gone, have another.

I may roast myself some green coffee beans or feed some red wigglers to some bluegill.

Some people I know find a quiet spot and play their guitar. Some take a quiet walk. Some listen to music. Some go to the beach. Some take a cruise.

One person I know gets up a half-hour early to have breakfast leisurely and a couple cups of tea. I guess what floats your boat is just OK.

For many in our society today, I honestly believe they have lost the know-how or skill or even ability to recharge. People are constantly going and doing and such where they have no time to recharge and bring a sense of calm and peace inside themselves.

We have noise around us all day long, whether it be the radio or TV or our cellphones or whatever. And the longer we go without recharging our inner beings, the tighter that spring inside us gets until it breaks.

How do you recharge your batteries? Hopefully if you aren't, you will find a way to.

Have a good one,

Until next time.