lady stands waiting decent person trying to survive a tough life
On my commute to work I pass a lady, standing on the side of the road.
I am sure she is waiting for a ride to work.
She is dressed in the uniform of a hotel housekeeper which isn’t unusual since my commute takes me out to resort island on the coast of the South Carolina low country.
Some mornings she is standing with a young boy about 10 years old.
Both wear backpacks.
I want to stop and offer her a ride but I don’t.
This morning I happened to be listening to an audio book (The Guardians by John Grisham) and just as I pass the lady standing and waiting, I hear the words, “… a decent guy trying to survive a tough life.”
Mr. Grisham was describing someone in the book.
But the words hit me, looking at the lady as I passed.
She is there everyday.
She shows up for work and if the traffic works, she shows up on time.
Probably not working for much beyond minimum wage.
Working.
Working hard.
Working hard to make things nice for people who are on the island for a vacation.
Decent person trying to survive a tough life.
Type of person this country was built on.
So why?
Why aren’t we trying to help this lady?
Why do so many people seem to hate this lady?
Decent person trying to survive a tough life.
Isn’t that a description that any one of us would want?
creampuffs for breakfast just one of the side benefits being sixty five
Way back in the forever never land of childhood, I read a book of Paul Bunyan stories and one of the stories was all about the lumber camp cookhouse and the head cook, Hot Biscuit Slim and his helper, Cream Puff Fatty, who made the desserts.
The story was how Hot Biscuit Slim planned the best Sunday Dinner ever and he claimed there would be so much food, the lumberjacks would have no room for dessert.
According to the book (Paul Bunyan Swings His Axe), Hot Biscuit Slim said, “Tomorrow, I am going to have the best Sunday dinner of the year. When the men are through eating my hot biscuits with jelly, spinach, cucumbers, young red radishes, and chicken pie, they won’t be able to eat a mouthful of dessert.”
A claim that Cream Puff Fatty took as a challenge.
The books says that Cream Puff Fatty called the dessert boys together and said. “We will make cream puffs that will melt in your mouth! Light creamy ones with whipped cream a foot high! We shall see if they refuse to eat dessert!”
After the dinner was served and the lumberjacks were stuffed full of hot biscuits with jelly, spinach, cucumbers, young red radishes, and chicken pie, Cream Puff Fatty went into action.
“Now is the time, boys!” cried Cream Puff Fatty. The dessert boys strapped on their roller skates and started down the long tables.
“Cream puffs! Cream puffs!” the men shouted as they saw large plates of fluffy white cakes topped with whipped cream. With a shout they picked up their forks and started eating again. Not a man left the dining room! Every single cream puff was eaten!
Well, sir but, Boy Howdy, I have had a weakness for cream puffs ever since.
Problem is that I never found any that met the mark set by Cream Puff Fatty.
That is until my wife started making them back years ago.
I have never seen her bake them, it usually happens when I am at work, but I come home to find a plate of them and I have to shout, “Cream puffs! Cream puffs!”
When the kids were in the house, we would all angle to get as many off the platter as we could and more kids fell for the HEY LOOK OVER THERE to lose a cream puff off their plate then I can count.
In place of a cake, the cream puffs are my birthday dessert of choice and this year was no different.
I came home from work to find a platter of cream puffs out on the counter but had to wait until after dinner.
For dinner we found a nice out of the way place along the Beaufort River in Port Royal and the waiter asked, without knowing of course, if we wanted dessert.
I shook my head and laughed and almost yelled that we were going home to have Cream puffs! Cream puffs!
Home and candles stuck into a cream puff with some of the kids on video call, I got to hear Happy Birthday sung as only my family can … and then it was time for Cream puffs! Cream puffs!
And so I turned 65.
I got up this morning and there in the fridge were something I didn’t see too often.
Left over cream puffs.
I took out the box and opened it and looked at into it for a minute.
Maybe less than a minute.
And I thought, what the heck, I am 65!
And I had cream puffs with my coffee for breakfast!
stars of my birthday favor me lucky star born nothing can stop me
Sunrise over Hilton Head Island – July 17, 2025
Come on, superstition, and get my goat I got mascots The stars of my birthday favor me The numbers from one to ten are with me I was born under a lucky star and nothing can stop me The moon was a waxing moon and not a waning moon when I was born Every card in the deck and both of the seven-eleven bones are with me So you hear them tell it and they mean if it works it’s good and if it don’t it costs nothing
From The People, Yes (53) as published in The Complete Poems of Carl Sandburg, by Carl Sandburg, Harcourt, Brace, New York, 1950.
According to my drivers license, I was born today … 65 years ago.
Some years back, my Boss had my team work through an exercise where we come up with THEEE word that best described ourselves and my word came up as lazy.
Today, I would choose another word and that word would be lucky.
The stars of my birthday favor me.
Oh so lucky.
I was born under a lucky star and nothing can stop me.
I was born in a big family and never ever knew the fear of want or need or poverty.
I was raised in a home where God and the love of Jesus was just a part of life.
Nothing was pounded into you, it was just accepted and while questions might come and go over the years it was always there as the simple faith of a child and I thank God for it.
I am lucky in life, relationships, work, schooling and the numbers from 1 to 10 are with me.
I don’t understand my luck.
But, Boy Howdy, do I appreciate it.
The moon was a waxing moon and not a waning moon when I was born and have enjoyed my luck.
I can’t explain it, so I don’t try.
Every card in the deck and both of the seven-eleven bones are with me.
Not that I haven’t screwed up, screwed up a lot and often but let me tell, it’s on me that I screwed up and caused my own problems and most of the problems I created for myself would not have existed had I not created them.
So you hear me when I tell it.
I mean if it works it’s good and if it don’t it costs nothing.
Born lucky and still trying to figure out how I got to 65,
accroche-toi ton rêve you see ship go sailing … hold … on tight to your dream
Okay, the line in french is Accroche-toi à ton rêve and I had take out the à or to to fit into my definition of a haiku and I also used ellipsises in within the haiku but that is all part of the fun of writing in the 21st century.
My blog, my rules.
Debate at leisure if you will but there it is though I am hoping for a comment from a French teacher I know in Kansas City for her opinion.
Why am I using a 1981 song, Hold On Tight, sung by the Electric Light Orchestra as the basis of today’s haiku?
(Emphasis/accent on the WHY)
That’s a good question and I’ll ask it again.
Why am I using a 1981 song sung by the Electric Light Orchestra as the basis of today’s haiku?
(Emphasis/accent on the AM)
Not sure that changing the emphasis accent but it makes for an interesting vocal excercise.
I have more songs on my iPhone than I can keep track of or collate so I just set my play list to random.
Somewhere along the line I downloaded a folder of ‘Greatest Songs of the ’80s or was it the 1900’s and dumped them onto my phone.
Driving to work today, the day before I turn 65, crossing over a bridge to an island while it was raining as sun rose out of the Atlantic Ocean to shine in my face and light up the storm clouds, that song was randomly selected and played over the car speakers by my iphone.
Now I can’t get it out of my head.
When I got to work I had to get online to find out what the ELO was singing when they switched over to singing in French, especially as ELO was known for hiding secrets in their music that affected the minds of young college kids, which I would have been back in 1981 when the song was released.
Both relieved and disappointed, I learned that the lyrics in French were just that, the lyrics in French.
Mmm, hold on tight to your dream, yeah Hold on tight to your dream, yeah When you see your ship go sailing When you feel your heart is breaking Hold on tight to your dream
Accroche-toi à ton rêve Accroche-toi à ton rêve Quand tu vois ton bateau partir Quand tu sens ton coeur se briser Accroche-toi à ton rêve
At work early, the vacuums are going, the storm is passing, I am alone in the office for a few hours.
The radio is on and by chance The Bluebird is playing.
And get this, The Bluebird is written by Alexis FFRENCH.
(Don’t know much about Mr. Ffrench, but I plan to.)
All this leads to much introspection and thought.
Maybe too much.
I grew up and live in a world where I don’t worry about where my next drink of cold water is coming from, let alone where my next meal might be or where I might sleep tonight.
I can’t do much about that but I do what I can.
I DO appreciate it.
I DO know how lucky I was to be born when and where I was born.
I DO appreciate it.
What else?
Well …
Mmm, hold on tight to your dream, yeah Hold on tight to your dream, yeah When you see your ship go sailing When you feel your heart is breaking Hold on tight to your dream
Accroche-toi à ton rêve Accroche-toi à ton rêve Quand tu vois ton bateau partir Quand tu sens ton coeur se briser Accroche-toi à ton rêve
Have a good night and hold on tight.
Wikipedia says that when this MUSIC VIDEO (HA!) was made, it was the single most expensive music video ever recorded … that was in 1981 before the world went a little nuts …
No Haiku For You 