Blog

Oh, the places I’ve gone and the people I’ve met – Jan 2022 edition

January 25th, 2022 by Kenneth Abrahams

Travel has always been a big part of my life; both my personal life and it is an integral part of my career. Honestly, I have been very lucky. Many folks have never been afforded the luxury of being able to travel as I have. As a young child my parents would put the back seats of the old station wagon down, throw the bags on the roof rack, or simply pack them around us kids and off we’d go. For some, there is a rush to see Europe or explore the mysteries of Asia. For me, it is spending time discovering the Good Old US of A. Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon is breathtaking. There is no stranger and, to some, more exciting city than New Orleans. They are part of a tragic piece of our history, but the Civil War Battlefields should be experienced by everyone before they die. Think you really know about Gerald Ford, the man tasked with trying to put this country back together after President Richard Nixon left office post-Watergate, I suggest you stop by his museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This country is blessed with some incredible scenery and a wealth of different climates and topographies. In just the last few weeks, I have been in the deep freeze that is a New England winter, flown into Tucson, Arizona, an arid outpost in the desert, and survived the winding highways of the mountains in West Virginia. When you drive, you really get to see some fascinating sites. Unlike John Travolta in the movie Michael, I have never stopped to see the world’s biggest ball of twine or the largest non-stick frying pan, but I have seen things like the largest taxidermy museum in West Virginia and driven by mile after mile of cornfields in the Midwest. While attending conferences, I have had the pleasure of taking in a few races at Churchill Downs in Kentucky and stood looking at the memorial to the victims of the bombing at the Murrah building in Oklahoma City. Between work and personal travel, I have hit 48 of the 50 states.

Yes, there are some beautiful and wonderful sights in this country, but there is nothing more fascinating than the people we meet along the way. As mentioned in a previous blog or 2, my trip to Arizona was to attend my son’s wedding. We hosted the rehearsal dinner the night before at a BBQ joint in Tucson. It was, for our crowd, the ideal spot, very casual with good drinks and great food. When we arrived, we met Mike who was to be our event captain for the evening. He was immediately likeable, joking that he may not look the part or be dressed appropriately at that moment, but he would be running the show. From the outset it was clear that he was very customer focused, which was nice to see. His story is what truly made him unique. Like so many others, he was a casualty of the pandemic, professionally speaking. Prior to COVID, he had been in the 9 to 5 corporate world but when the pandemic hit, he lost his job. His wife is one of the managers at the restaurant and said that they could use an extra set of hands to help with events that were starting to come in again and some other things as well. He decided to take a chance and found out that not only was he good at it, but he really loved it. Me, I’m a sucker for a good story and a happy ending.

That same night our bartender also had a fascinating story. She was one of, I believe, 18 children. Her parents had a number of kids of their own and had adopted others as well. She worked 3 jobs just to pay her bills. Her family expected her to not only cover her own expenses but to contribute to the family coffers as well. Others her age may have been resentful or angry but not her, this was the life that she knew. She appreciated the work ethic her parents instilled in her.

Shortly after arriving home from the wedding, I jumped in my car and headed down to West Virginia for work. Truth be told it is one of my favorite states. It has some breathtaking scenery and some of the most genuinely nicest, hardworking people you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. Glenville State College was my destination, and I was lucky enough to spend 2 days there. When I arrived on campus, my contact said she would be right out to meet me, and it would be easy to recognize her as she was almost 8 months pregnant. Despite being a few weeks from her due date, she offered to carry in equipment or help me unload, I, of course, declined. Throughout my 2 days there she made sure I had what I needed and checked in frequently. Working there was a pleasure.

Again, I met people and saw behavior that simply fascinated me. Groups of students would hang out in the area near where the program was set up, and unlike many other campuses I have been on, they interacted with one another. Checking their phones was done on occasion, it was not a permanent extension of their hands. I could tell from the conversations that I overheard, they cared about one another and the institution. Athletes were talking about people they knew that the school was recruiting, two other students were talking about an upcoming horse show that one of their moms wanted her to attend. Stuff you don’t often hear at schools in New England.

Day one I was working with a student helping with the snow globes. As I often do, I asked her to tell me about herself. She replied that she wasn’t very interesting. Not being satisfied with that answer, I began to pry into this “not very interesting” person. Over the next 4 hours here is what I learned. In the summer of 2021 she had 3 jobs, one of which was 84 hours a week taking care of a 300 pound plus, bedridden patient with memory issues. Oh, by the way she was also poised to graduate early because she had taken extra classes over the summer. At one point her family lived with and took care of an older couple, the wife who had three prior husbands all of whom died of mysterious causes. Husband number 4 passed away unexpectedly one night also under mysterious circumstances. She rode dirt bikes and was a member of the Future Farmers of America. At one point she mentioned that her boyfriend had broken up with her at the beginning of deer season, ruining deer season for her, all she got was one 10-point buck. You guessed it, she hunted and fished. If she thought that was uninteresting, I would hate to see what ranked as interesting in her book.

When you hit the road, you never know what you are going to see or who you are going to meet. That, my friends, is what makes it interesting.

About the Author:

Ken Abrahams is a collector of stories. Meeting people and hearing their stories is what keeps him engaged and loving what he does. No matter where you go, talk to the people that you meet, they may have stories that surprise and thrill you.

To find out more about the company go to our website www.funent.com you can also go to this link to sign up for our newsletter which comes out about 6 times a year https://funent.com/subscribe-to-the-funny-pages/.  Our newsletter will tell you more about the company and the products and services we offer as well as some games, things to do and the occasional cooking tip.