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So there I sat on my deck as the sun slipped down behind Lookout Mountain and gave the sky the most amazing blast of colors. I was enjoying a glass of tea (sweetened with sugar, poured over crushed ice with a sprig of mint) and munching lightly on a teacake still warm from the oven. I was watching the hummingbirds fight over the numerous feeders I have placed in my flower garden. A bunny was down in the front yard munching on a few apples that had fallen from one of the three trees that give wonderful fruit abou this time each year. (Except last year when the "cold snap" prevented the harvest.) A few butterflies fluttered by reminding me they are on their way in the migratory pattern of this time of year.
I smelled him before he arrived. A strange mixture of musty pine, oak and honeysuckle. Not unplesant, just different.
I watched as a bashful face appeared around the north end of my house. Not wanting to frighten away this stranger, I said loud enough for him to hear, "Wish I had someone to drink the remainder of the tea and eat this last teacake."
With that offering he slipped quietly up the steps and sat cross-legged on the deck. I invited him to sit in the lounge chair beside me, but he declined stating he wasn't used to such sitting arrangements.
He drank the tea right from the pitcher and grabbed a handful of teacake and gulped it down with one bite. Not quite the manners of a true Southern Gentleman!
Feeling no danger, I asked where he came from and was he alone. He assured me he was alone and most of his kin had scattered over our vast country. He said he was just passing through and was frightened by some men with guns and ropes and traps while enjoying the beauty of our own mountain range just a few miles away. Such a sad look in his eyes.
I asked him why he chose to visit me. He said he had read my blogs and thought it safe to call on me for a little refreshment before he heads off to parts unknown.
You read blogs???? I was shocked! He informed me he had internet access, GPS system and was able to run great distances without becoming tired. He was a gentle giant and quite shy.
I asked him if he had seen any Russians about. "You mean other that that lady Maria who makes jewelry and owns her own store over in the next town?" he asked. Yes, that is the one. You see, we do have a Russian living right here in my part of Georgia. I have purchased a few items from her. She is a wonder of an artist and loves to tell about the day she became a citizen of this country. He said he saw her and watched as her hand formed such pretty things out of metals and beads. I thought I spotted a sparkle of green nestled in the thick fur on his neck!
With not much fanfare, he thanked me for my kindness, bade me farewell and slipped off into the woods on the other side of my driveway. Not a sound was heard as he slipped through the pine trees, oaks and dogwoods that fill the acres between us and our neighbor.
This is my story of meeting Big Foot. He was not dangerous or mean or harmful. Just living his life as he knew it. Different from me. Different from most of the folks I know. Not bad, just different. Not my skin color or texture, just different.
Have you had a "bigfoot" come into your life lately? Maybe it was someone new at work. Perhaps someone who bought the house across the street from you and spoke a different language or looked differently from your family.
How did you greet them? Did you offer a glass of tea and a cookie?
OK, so Big Foot didn't really visit me. But I have met folks who were different and at first I stayed my distance. Over time I learned they were just like me...only different. Perhaps some folks thing the same thing about me! I'm certainly different!
I'm not saying to invite the stranger into your home. What I'm saying is give someone time to prove who they are. Learn from them. Some people you will avoid like the plague. Others may become good friends.
If I appeared in the jungles of darkest Africa, would they be scared of the light skinned, green-eyed person with hair the color of...well, whatever my hairdresser mixed up that visit? I would be different. I hope they would offer me a glass of whatever they have in place of sweet tea and a cookie made out of whatever grows in their country. I only wear a size 8 shoe, so I wouldn't be confused with the infamous "Big Foot". There are other parts of my body that may be a trademark, but we won't go there...and neither should you less you invoke the fightin' side of this Southern Belle!
Mz Scarlett...watching out for little green men, the Loch Ness Monster and my neighbor across the road (after all, he is from Poland and tries to beat my husband every year in the Christmas decorations!)
