By Steve Dunford

I always try to make a trip uptown or to the park once a day.  Today about 11:30 a.m. I ventured out for a few hours.  Along with the exercise, it is good for the soul.

Today I went on my excursion.  For those of you that don’t know,  lost my license three years ago in April because of non-epileptic seizures.  It was one of the most devastating days of my life at the time.  Driving is just not part of my lifestyle now.  When I get them back, you will have to put up with me posting selfies like all the 16 year-olds do.

There is a powerful testimony behind it by the late Claude Hampleman of Sesser how I ended up in West Frankfort.  I will write a column on that one day.

I have a cart I take with me.  It serves what used to be the bed of my pickup truck.  I joke with people like it is my homeless persons cart.  It started to bother me today, because I am far from that.  I will not call it that again. I will not be sleeping outside tonight.

I took my cart because McCords had toilet paper and paper towels for $.49 on a one day special.   I am a tight wad, so I stocked up.  The need to run that special again around Halloween.

I stopped at a yard sale.   The Lord met some needs.  I picked up a computer, iron, and an alarm clock for $5,  I am going to hook the computer up tomorrow.  I had a power surge and lost my PC or my monitor or the computer itself.  The surge protector was worth five bucks alone that came with it.   My iron is on its last leg, and my alarm clock in not reliable.  I know I rambled on, but when the Bible says in Philippians 4:19, he will meet your every need. Today was an example.

Sometimes my excursions last longer than I planned.  I end up talking a lot.  It is not loafing though, it is building up good “community relations” for the website.

There are some conversations about fixing the Cardinals, some solving all the problems in Springfield and Washington, some are how you doing Steve.  I have had several long  conversations with people from Thompsonville.  The most meaningful ones are people that introduce themselves, and compliment me on some things that I have wrote.  I had two people do that today.  It is humbling, but at the same time very proud.

I was walking home with my TP and treasures, and some chords were hanging out of my “chariot.”  I don’t know why but I thought of Steve Martin in The Jerk, packing things down the road and saying that is all I need.

In the next several blocks, I saw several people that honked and waved.  I had someone talk my leg off like an old friend,  they kept calling me Steve, and I had absolutely no idea who they were.  Several kids that I subbed in their classroom would yell out the window, “Hi Mr. Dunford”, that made me feel like a million bucks.

I get home from my awesome day, and I was approached by someone who lives in the building with me.  He looked at my goodies, and said, Do you realize how you are embarrassing yourself?

He told me I looked like a 90 year old man.  He told me how he hasn’t had a license in 20 years, and would never lower himself as much as I do.  He was telling me get a bicycle, hire someone to take you somewhere, do something else than what your are doing.  I am sure you are a joke to the kids you sub.   My only response was I may never drive a vehicle again, but I am not going to let it stop me from living.

I shut my apartment door, and it got to me at first.  Yeah, there have been a few times people have said ugly things to me since I lost my license, but they are in the minority.  I just said a prayer for him.  I have learned when people say things like that, they are hurting inside.

I am asked a lot what is it like not being able to drive.  I say yes, my lifestyle would be different. I use the analogy, going to Marion now. is like going to St. Louis used to be.  It is a few times a year trip.

I tell them the other side of the coin.  The slower pace of life taking a half hour to get across town, or fifteen minutes to go to the bank is refreshing.  If I was in a vehicle, I would not have the encounters with people that I have.

I am not exaggerating, I have hundreds of people that say if you need to go somewhere call me.  I have had the opportunity to cover a lot of things, especially sporting events with several people offering.  I am a blessed man.

Life is exactly what you make it.  I have the philosophy, if the Lord gives you a good day, be thankful for it.  Today, he blessed me with a good one.

Enjoy this holiday weekend.  Don’t let what is happening in Springfield eat you up.  Cherish the time you have with family and friends.  I had some great 4th of July weekends at Rend Lake when mom was living.  It used to make me sad, but it does not anymore.  I will share some on Monday or Tuesday.

I hope some of the things I said brought a smile to your face.  As far as the guy who chewed on me today, it is not likely he reads this.  He told me he does not like the website, putting it mildly, in our last conversation.