A man named Ken...

Travel season can be a time of loneliness. During the day it really isn’t. Why? Because I see some of the best students in northwest Iowa during my visits to their schools. But at night it can be a different story. It is just me and that unfamiliar hotel room.

This wasn’t the case a few weeks ago as I stayed in Cherokee. They have a very nice Best Western with a very good steakhouse. At around 6:30 I went to the restaurant and ordered supper. I sat next to an older gentleman that was watching “I Love Lucy” on their television near the salad bar. I introduced myself and he explained that he had to change it to “I Love Lucy” because the news station he had been watching was talking about Brittney Spear’s and her escapades.

We began talking and he said that he was visiting family members all over the Midwest. He had actually come across Iowa the day before venturing from northern Wisconsin. He was doing this as his hobby was tracing his genealogical path and making it into a database to pass along to his family. He was very passionate about this work and he told me about his family's past.

He also spoke about how he had fought in World War II as part of the Marines. He described landing at Iwo Jima and losing numerous friends. He said that his captain had asked him to make a list of men that would actually make the landing, which he replied that he couldn’t do. He couldn’t pick the friends that would more than likely parish.

He also went into the story of losing his wife and first son in a four month time period. You could tell that he really loved his wife, and we talked about how I would be married within a month. He gave me some advice including that my ears should be much larger than my mouth, and that a small gesture of love never hurts, even if you know that you love one another.

He told story after story ranging from what his kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids do today to NASCAR trivia and our favorite drivers. (He wasn’t a big fan of NASCAR, but I think I convinced him to be a Stewart fan)!

After I ate that night and the man went up to his room, I thought about how nice it was to speak to somebody with that perspective on life. He had great things that had happened to him, and horrible things that were a part of his life, but he smiled and laughed because he knew that the good things were what we live for, and the bad just made him stronger.

Hearing a few stories from somebody that has “experienced” life can really help steer you in the right direction, or at least put you in the right state of mind. Take the time to call a parent, a grandparent, and just talk. Not about the hustle and bustle, but about what makes them, well, them. Remember the days of sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of your grandparents as they told you about the days of “no television and walking to school in a foot of snow, uphill both ways”? I do, and the way I look at it is that I can still sit cross-legged, and I am sure there are still some great stories to be heard!

Have a great day and Ken, if you are reading this…thanks for the company!

GO STORM-

Andy