Friday, September 30, 2011

Taste of Tybee

It's Friday and I've got too much to do. All of the work that I've been doing all week kept multiplying during the nights ... like rabbits ... and every day I wake up with more to do. Yesterday I realized there's no way that I'll get it all done by the deadline.

Plus I have to leave the island today ... TWICE!!!!

First, Goddess is out of food. I think she's figured this out because she is standing there staring at me ... patting her left paw on the floor ... giving me this disgusted look. So Wall Mart is in my immediate future.

Second, I am leaving later for the ride to Athens where I have an intimate weekend planned with 100,000 of my closest friends. The beloved Dawgs of Georgia, coeds, long time dear friends and my kids will all come together. We will do a hostile take-over of my son's condo and sometime Sunday morning will wake up for the drive back home. Good Times!

I wish I was up for all of this. Last night I was home alone studying my Sunday School lesson for Bar Church (Do Marijuana prayers go higher than regular prayers?) when Cheryl and Dedra broke into my house and forced my to attend the Chamber of Commerce's annual "Taste of Tybee".

In my former life as President & CEO of Union Mission I used attend all of these things. I was a member of the Chamber Board, CEO Council, graduated from Leadership Savannah and was the regularly appointed "clergy-to-pray" at Chamber functions (cause I was member of the Chamber with the "Rev" in front of his name). Since then I've become a beach bum, my appointed destination in life ... except financing the life lifestyle is a bitch!

So I needed to dress for the occasion ... after this was a business function. So I got my powder baby blue tee shirt that reads "St. Martin, a sunny place for shady people", my shorts, a real pair of underwear and flip-flops. I dabbled some salt water behind my ears and we were off.

As a Chamber member we got in quickly and cheaply. Looking over my shoulder at Cheryl and Dedra I said, "I haven't done this in a while. Let's see if I still got it."

And I dove in.

And it was fun.

I saw lots of old friends ... was accosted by everybody running for office on Tybee Island (I must say that Dac's wooden nickles were the hit of the night) ... Chamber President Bill Hubbard asked me where the Mayor was I happily told him that I have no idea ... Russ Abolt, the County Manager and I chatted and his wife and I hugged (that is another long story) ... Marjorie Young and I discussed the United Way campaign ...

"What's happening at Union Mission?" people asked.

"Beats me," I replied.

"What are you doing?" they cleverly asked next.

"Beats me," I begin ... "but the truth of the matter is I'm working for a bunch of crazy doctors and nurses who believe they can change the world and redefine health care in the world."

Cheryl brought me a plastic cup of wine and gives me this look ... asking in her face "You cool with this?"

Dedra bring me a coconut shrimp and give me this look ... "You cool with this?"

We all look at each other.

To hell with this.

So we leave.

We go to Spankey's for chicken fingers because we really didn't taste much of anything at the Taste of Tybee.

Then we broke onto Johnny O and Judy O's porch. Except they caught us because they were sitting on it. So we sat and we talked and laughed and made plans.

Suddenly summer was back ... celebrations were in the air ... everything was good again.

Later Cheryl threw me out of her new car at 35 miles per hour in front of my house. Goddess was standing there tapping her paw in the grass giving me this look ... "Where the hell have you been?"

I stumbled inside, climbed the stairs, fell on the green couch and ... reflected.

Man, what a crazy ride! But it is good! I feel good. It feels good. Then the phone rang and the celebration of it all continued.