Meeting With A Master

It has been an interesting few days. For reasons which are beyond the scope of this post let's just say the stress level has been through the roof. Since we are going to Roswell Tommorow the bike needs a little attention and there was also the issue of screening in our new micro-patio. What I am leading up to and the point being that I had to go to the hardware store for the first time here in Albuguerque. I was a little worried because I had a hard time finding metric hardware at anyplace but Budget Bolt in Bakersfield. I had heard though that ACE Hardware had a good selection.

Turns out that was a massive undersatement. They have some very impressive rows of hardware, including a section of chrome parts in locked drawers. Not my thing, but cool. I was barely able to comprehend what happened next-I was transported to Mayberry. Yep, in the hardware isle of ACE Hardware in Albuquerque, NM I met Ernest who I swear to God just stepped out of a time machine from somewhere in the great days of Americana.

I handed this guy a trim screw and asked him if he could match it. He took the screw from me and turned it over a few inches from his face and examined it thoughorly and SLOWLY. To say slowly is not even the right word it was as if two different planes of reality were running simultaneously. Mine, at warp drive and high stress, his at one third impulse and no stress.

So then this guy walks ever so slowly with a sort of odd meter gait to the measuring stick, finds the size of the screw, then again ever so slowly walks to where he thinks the most likely place to find the screws will be.

On my inner track of the world I am screaming inside, "can we just get on with this!"

This scenario replayed itself over and over again. It only dawned on me o the ride home that I had just been in presence of a true Zen Master.

(More to come on this post)