Leaving Alabama

I don't know why I titled the above photo 'Leaving Alabama'. It was the first thing that popped into my mind. and it isn't a fair stereotype. Actually, I've met a number of people from the 'Roll Tide' state and they're nice folks. Why wouldn't they be? I'm willing to wager they're just as nice as are Iowans and that's a good thing.

In my life I've had a number of conversations about people in general as to whether they're good, bad or otherwise. Whenever this conversation comes up I think back to my last day as a salesman for my company while driving home to Dublin, Ohio from Cleveland on I-71 to begin that wonderful aspect of life called retirement. I was halfway to Dublin when I began thinking about all the people I'd met in my twenty years as a peddler and there had to be thousands of them. My sales territory was Ohio, every state surrounding it and the province of Ontario, Canada. To illustrate the massiveness of my geographic area I drove 75,000 miles yearly. 

So, as I drove I began reflecting on people I'd met and guess what? I could only come up with two individuals who I felt were the devil personified. One of these men was a purchasing manager for General Electric Canada based in Stratford. The other was a maintenance manager at AK Steel in Middletown, Ohio. Folks, after I left my meetings with these two I was convinced Hitler, Mussolini and Genghis Khan had been recreated into one horrible human being. They were foul mouthed, crass, hateful people. 

So, as I trekked south on Interstate 71 and now half hour from home, I began considering all the wonderful people I'd met in my travels. Some of them became longtime friends and those who weren't left me with rainbow memories and that's a good thing. Then, as I hit the Sunbury exit and was a mere 15 minutes from my house it hit me. I'll give these two evil creatures the benefit of the doubt. I'd met thousands of God fearing citizens who were for the most part good and decent family men and I could only come up with two miserable creatures. Maybe, just maybe, on the day I met them they'd found out their dog had died; that their wife had asked for a divorce; that one of their children and been diagnosed with a horrible disease. And so I put my mind at ease knowing God creates all in His image and that's a good thing.  

P.S. If I met the drive of the U-Haul I bet he'd be worthy of me buying him a beer and that's a good thing.