You know you are in East Texas when (aka lessons from the East)

     *  You stop at the truck stop for fast food, The truck-stop has a drive through
     *  You leave your phone on a park bench and still there three hours later
     *  Your son wakes you up in the morning  by asking, hey dad can we go kill some animals today?
     *  You see more than 3 people per 24 hour period wearing suspenders.. bonus...you see a guy get out of      a truck wearing only jeans and suspenders
     *  You cannot find a parking space because every other place is taken up by a Dually (a truck with 3           axles)... And driven by a female
     *  Businesses are closed on Sundays
     *  Certain one syllable words become multi-syllabic: bad, ba-ad, bay-yid, mad, ma-ad, may-yid
     *  Certain two syllable words become one: choir, chwor, fire, far, oil, ohl

LIFE LESSONS

In all seriousness those happened to me in the last few weeks. Ive laughed but  I've also learned to accept, tolerate even enjoy the East Texas idiosyncrasies.  As i peeled the onion (in this case, a local noonday onion) i realized these funny  foibles are probably rooted in goodness somewhere and if i pondered it i could probably make some sense of it somehow.  

Value -
I suppose there are more than a few reasons why there are more Dollar Generals than Neiman Marcus and it has more to do with value more than style. There are values to be found at luxury retailers just as there are needless mark ups at budget discounters but value is more about ROI. When the sustainable lifestyle is more aligned with need instead of want it is easier to buy the $50 widget that lasts a couple of years (and a couple more with tinkerin {more on that later})than a $75 dollar one that may last two years but will probably be out of style in less than one.

Satisfaction -
Pride is strong but its more about who you are than what you have. There are people who prove that satisfaction can be obtained. They fix things and find value in that more than having the latest, greatest model. Pride is found more where satisfaction is the end game than when avarice abounds. Satisfaction is reality.

Tinker -
Because people value a buck, they fix things themselves. But that's not the only reason. There is pride in self sufficiency and hard work and thrift. Computers are a wonderful form of technology but so is a shovel, a sewing machine and a strong back (kinda).  Tinkering fixes things in real time not virtually. Tinkering isn't only efficient on Luddite items, even cracked smartphones need a fixer. But tinkerin is a way of life that is dependent on tinker time. Fast paced frenzy abhors tinker-time.

Lean in to Slow -
Universal truism. Slower is better. Meat cooked slow is better. People driving slower are safer. Working slower and more methodical is better than rushing. Time on the beach, being in love and relationships all better slower.  Need i continue?

I will...

Fast food is unhealthy.  Quick driving is quick death. Rushed work is sloppy. Quick vacations, rapid romance and revolving relationships all worse than their opposite.

* bonus foodie rant - im not for sure but i think there are more BBQ joints (not chains one either) in my current vivacity than fast food places. Way more. The reason. All the above but mostly because it takes time to make good BBQ.

Fast is a disease. Slow is not only a cure but a healthy place to be.

Unwind, undo, relax, refresh, replenish.... And learn from the easy breezy.  Fast and furious is overrated.  Smell the flowers.  Consider what is really worth it. Find out what it is.  Tinker.