Bell Ringing:
Saturday I managed to get 7 people to join me in standing in front of a
local Wal-Mart, wearing a Salvation Army Apron, and ringing a bell for two
hours. I had to work a double shift, but that was fine with me. There was a time
when I thought I might be out there for six or even eight hours.
A lot of things go through your mind when you stand in front of
a store ringing a bell. First, the people-watching is amazing. Unless they plan
to drop something in the can, people do not want to make eye contact with the
Salvation Army guy. So you're free to watch and stare as much as you want.
You're invisible.
Second, the bell ringing is trippy. When you
hear the same bell for two hours, your mind starts playing with you. I swear I
think my bell had a sweet spot. If I hit that spot there was a clear ring.
Otherwise it was a different pitch and more of a rattle. I also had about five
or six different rhythms that I fell into. A single ring on the bell or a double
ring, down and back up. I was having a blast, but that's just me; I'm weird that
way.
And last, I must say that the Salvation Army
bell ringer is not a real human being in anyone's mind. There's the pot and the
sound of the bell and you, standing there like a cartoon character. The feeling
of being a part of the scenery was so profound that when my shift was over and I
walked into the Wal-Mart to buy a coke, it felt strange being allowed to walk
among the people.
One Real Live Preacher reader came down from Austin, if you can
believe it. He was a very nice guy, and we had kind of a single-serving
friendship. Doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see him again, but you know how that
goes.
Michael K, you da man. Thanks a bunch. It was
great meeting you. Tell the folks at the Thursday night thingy I said hello. If
I'm ever in town on a Thursday night, maybe I can crash the gate.
The first of the three sisters helped out. She's a senior this
year, about to turn 18. I'm coming to grips with the idea of her being an adult.
And leaving home. That's bad and good, you know? Anyway, thanks Reiley.
Let's see, there was Renee and John and
Jeanene, all from our church. And finally, a friend of mine
who is an Episcopal priest in town joined us. Cristopher is the guy who gave me
the pen that I still use and that inspired
this piece.
C, thanks man. And I'm serious about the
baseball thing, okay? Very serious. Expect to hear from me on that one.
So it was a good day. We raised a lot of money
for our local Salvation Army chapter, one of the few left that is completely run
by volunteers. This money will buy food for hungry people, be set aside for
disaster relief, and will even pay some utility bills when people come up short
at the end of the month. That kind of thing.
I'll be out again next Saturday with a new
bunch of victims volunteers. I have two RLP readers lined up
for next week. One from Austin and one from the other side of town. I still
have slots available....hint, hint.
So What else am I doing?
Well the Christmas story is done. Sales
are okay. Steady. I did take a little flak from one reader who feels my blog has
become all about money now, or as he put it, "The almighty dollar." That one
stung a bit, I'm embarrassed to admit. But the reality of life is that writing
must produce some income for me, so I have nothing to apologize for. It's good,
honest work if you can get it. There's no one out there helping writers make a
living. You have to do it yourself.
And finally, yes, an unapologetic plug for my
wife's new jewelry. I think it's beautiful
stuff - inspired even - and again, it's honest work making it.
Finally, I'm working on a number of things
right now, including some new video blogs. Look for those sometime during
December. I've come out of a fairly productive writing period. After I was
FINALLY done with the shepherd story, I kind of gushed for a bit. And now the
first Sunday of Advent is looming. The pastor part of my life needs some
attention. I better get to it.
rlp
