Spin the wheel

Tonight was School spirit night at the local Chick-fil-a. It is always a fun time for me and my rambunctious 8 year old son. He is always eager to turn over .50 cents to spin the wheel and earn free Chick-fil-a items.

Well, to be honest...he is mainly after the coveted milkshake coupon but what kid besides those allergic to dairy aren't after the milkshake?

Spencer usually takes about 4 turns on the wheel each time we visit Chick-fil-a (luxury of being an only child).

Spinning the wheel on spirit night means the school receives a $2.00 donation from us and Spencer earns free food (fruit, fries, diet lemonade, cinnamon rolls and of course, the favorite milkshake).

Tonight was no different. 4 spins equaled a diet lemonade, a fry, a cinnamon roll and thankfully, a cookies and cream milkshake. Score!!

The Chick-fil-a school spirit night gives us a chance to have a meal together that isn't rushed and semi-affordable considering fast food is quickly becoming over priced. The number 2 combo and a bowl of soup was just shy of $11.00 tonight.

Last month, we visited Taco Bell and literally spent more at Taco Bell for less food than we receive at a genuine Mexican restaurant but I digress......

Anyway, tonight at the local chick-fil-a we met an elderly man who was full of life and laughter which as a social worker for the elderly and the disabled does my heart a world of good to see.

Spencer and I had just sat down to eat our meal when the gentleman began a conversation by showing us a drawing of an odd shaped school bus with 4 windows and asked us which way the bus was heading..right or left?

Spencer observed the paper intently and stated "left." The jovial man said "yes, but why?" Spencer responded saying something about the windows but the man clarified that there wasn't a door showing in the picture; therefore, the bus was traveling left. We all laughed.

The elderly man mentioned that he frequents the Chick-fil-a several times a week mainly for the company.

I asked him if he ever plays bingo and he let me ramble on for a few minutes and finally interjected that he doesn't care for bingo. We all laughed again.

Who thinks bingo is just for the elderly? Granted there are plenty of seniors playing a mean game of bingo somewhere in this country every single day but I have to admit I find the game fun and habit forming myself. I guess we all want a chance to win the coveted milkshake any way we can win it.

During our conversation with the elderly man he mentioned his deceased wife 3 times. He admitted she had passed away 19 years ago from emphysema.

Spencer, the elderly man, and I had a wonderful conversation about every day living, math, brain teasers, and dieting.

Dieting? Do we ever stop worrying about our weight? He admitted he has been only eating half of his meal at one sitting and saves the other half for the next meal. He said slowly but surely he is losing weight. The gentleman told me he has a daughter that is 61...did you catch that? 61! His daughter is 61 and he is worried about losing weight. I should have just spun the wheel and won a milkshake for myself...darn milk allergies!!!

As much as the dieting conversation and a couple of the brain teasers dominated our talk, I could not help but to focus on how many times he talked about his wife.

He added that he had begged his wife to stop smoking but she always said it was too hard. I commented that it isn't as hard as what he has endured. He grinned and shook his head and offered up another brain teaser.

Life is funny, isn't it? You never know who you are going to meet or who will touch your heart. You never know what lesson you will receive or what blessing you will offer someone. It is much like that wheel with the  coveted milkshake.

You see, I was running late to pick up Spencer so we made it to Chick-fil-a late but had we been on time or early we might have missed the elderly gentleman who shared many life lessons with us in a short window of time.

We have some new brain teasers in our arsenal that I am certain a few third graders will hear up close and personal tomorrow from one rambunctious kid and one new math brain teaser that I still don't get but hey I did mention I am social worker and not a math whiz.

So, what lessons did we learn? Of course, an obvious lesson is....Don't smoke!

Another lesson is....we will always worry about our weight. Blah!!

A hidden lesson is to always have a smile on your face so you are approachable and open to new acquaintances and life lessons.

Most importantly, life is short and love is rare!

What wheel shall you spin? What milk shake will you strive to win? How open are you to new acquaintances?

Until next time, my friends...may your days be filled with milk shakes.
Rhonda