Star Struck

I went to the nursing home (which was technically a retirement center) today for the first time in probably 5 years. That's strange because, growing up in the Southern Baptist Church, we went to a nursing home probably twice a month. I must admit, re-entry to the land of the aged found me intimidated and shy. But it wasn't long before I found an outgoing, healthy looking woman (except for a bandage on her leg and a walker) talking to a friend of mine. I kneeled with my friend and soon realized that this woman, while with more experience and much wiser, was the elderly me!

She told us that she had been an English as a Second Language teacher all of her life. Her profession carried her to Taiwan, China, and Bulgaria. She was quick to tell us that traveling the world opened her mind and cured her of many fears she sees in her peers. She loved to talk about how most of her peers were scared to death of us college kids. However, she boldly explained that she had been a leader with the Baptist Student Union for most of her life. We discussed the sociocultural reasons (if I can be as bold as to drop that in here) behind the character type that is satisfied with what she has known her whole like, a.k.a. her town, and the other end of the spectrum, where the person who wants to see the world resides. Both of us being the "see the world" types, we discussed the beauties of learning from other cultures and applying that knowledge to what we experience in our familiar cultures. Like I said, she was me in 60 years.

Now, I had a great time talking to this woman, don't get me wrong; and I learned a ton. But, if you don't already know, time absolutely crawls when you are out of your comfort zone in a steaming-hot room. So, after a good 35 minutes, and the loss of my college-age partner, I was at a loss for words. There was a group singing hymns to accompany an out-of-tune piano, and I began to focus more on what was going on with the elderly singing along. When I turned back to look at my conversation partner, there was a new lady sitting by us. And this is where it gets good (at least I think so).

I didn't know what to say to the new woman, and she seemed quite reserved, but eventually I worked up the courage to ask what her name was. She told me and, after I replied, her friend (me in 60 years) blurted out, "She knew Johnny Cash!" Now, I'm not going to pretend like I'm the biggest fan ever. But I do live in Nashville, TN, I was alive and well when Walk the Line came out, and I do listen to his records, soI was intrigued. I probed for details. The woman revealed that she was JOHNNY CASH'S SECRETARY FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS! WHEREVER HE WENT, SHE WENT. In her humble, bright manner, she made sure I knew that she actually knew June Carter first and then met Johnny.

Now, I'm not sure if this strikes you as incredible, or even very cool, as many of the people I told this to today merely shrugged it off with an "Oh, wow." But, I will say that I thought it was unbelievable! I was actually star struck...by Johnny Cash's secretary. I didn't get to talk to her long because she was enjoying the hymns and I had to go, but I did get the since that she and Johnny had been very close. Crazy.

And thus, I met two very special people today. One led a life of service, building bridges between cultures with the tool of language. The other served an American legend for over 20 years. I stand in awe of both.