Maryville's Newest Eatery

Before I tell you about the new restaurant I wanted to share this with all of you.

I wish everyone would do this for a week, or no, a month. I adopted a philosophy several years ago that would save so many people from heartache if they would just try it. I’m sure I would have to share the credit because I don’t think it was an original idea but I remember when I first shared it with someone. It was my 15 year old daughter. I had gotten up around one in the morning to get a drink and saw a faint glow in her bedroom. I walked in to find her talking on the phone. At that moment I asked her a question and her answer bore a new outlook on life for her and everyone I get to speak to.

It went something like this…

            Me: “What are you doing?” (Luckily she didn’t respond with a “duh, dad, here’s yer sign!”)

            Kelcey: “Er, um, sorry, uh, dad, I can exp…”

            Me: I take the phone and say goodbye to the idiot on the other end and hang up. Then proceed to ask my daughter a question. “At what point before you made that phone call or answered that phone call did you think in that tiny little head of yours that it would be a good idea to talk to anyone at 1am? When did you, in your brain think, “I think dad would be fine with me sneaking a phone call in the middle of the night”?

            Kelcey: “Well, I didn’t, dad.”

            Me: “Go to sleep!”

The rest of the story isn’t important. But what is important is what I had realized. If we would simply say out loud what we were about to do before we actually do it then it could prevent us from making some mistakes or at the very least put a limit on the amount of mistakes we make. Even better, if we would find a friend that is slightly intelligent, we could say it to them and watch their reaction and determine the best course of action from there.

Imagine if before the last dumb thing you did, you had walked up to someone that you know has their head on at least semi-straight and just blurted out what you were about to do.

• “I think I’m going to drive really fast while I check my Facebook and send my boyfriend a text.”
• “Tonight, I am going to go out and get crazy drunk, start a fight, and then end up in jail and lose my job.”
• “Instead of finding a job, I’m going to stay at home and complain about being broke and the miserable life that I have.”
• “You know what would be awesome. If right now, as a teenager, I would get addicted to drugs and alcohol so I could possibly die before I turn 30.”
• “I think I am going to find the most attractive woman at my job and go to lunch with her. My wife wouldn’t care would she? Oh, I know, I just won’t tell her!”

Notice how that even when you read these things they seem silly but somebody will do one of these things today. Saying things out loud is easiest the best deterrent.

Here’s one for you to think about guys:

What would you say if I told you that there was a new restaurant opening up in Maryville? It has the best food around that was designed and cooked by the best chefs in the world. They use the highest quality ingredients and you will be able to tell as soon as you see it. There are a few things to think about though. The outside of the place is pretty run down. I know I know you don’t mind what the outside looks like as long as the inside is clean and nice (too bad you don’t look at women the same). And the kicker is that you can’t eat the food. Whoa there buddy. It’s ok. This restaurant is catering to guys only and they have done extensive research into what guys want. You can’t eat the food, to be frank; you can’t even touch the food. Now if you want to get closer and take a smell of the food, you can pay a little more and they will bring it to your table. Heck, if you are a big spender they will put a spread on your table that will have your mouth watering. But you can’t touch or taste anything!

If you really want the VIP treatment you can pay more and they will take you to a room and you can watch through a big glass window the server eat it right in front of you. Isn’t that awesome? I mean, I can’t wait for that one to open. I will get to pay money to just sit there and take in this amazing atmosphere and get absolutely nothing in return except a bulging appetite that I will have to satisfy somewhere else.

Sounds pretty silly when you look at it that way, huh? “You mean you want me to pay money and I don’t get to taste the food?” “Yep!”

That may sound a little farfetched but hey, it works in other industries!

Now, say it out loud, “Let’s have a great day and not do anything stupid!”

Pastor Dad