MEAN ORNERY COFFEE GANG MEMBERS OF SOMERSET

When you're on the road as a two-wheeler, two gas pumps with an attached junk food store are your friends.  So at 6:20 am this morning we wheeled into one of those places and ran right smack dab into an infiltration of the Mean, Ornery Coffee Gang Members of Somerset.  

Apparently, Hell's Angels hadn't been through Somerset in two decades and cyclists were rare as hen's teeth.  So when we walked in the store, the first of the MOCGMOS (Mean Ornery Coffee Gang Members of Somerset) eyeballed us silently from head to toe from the safety of his side of the room.

Amazing how a couple of gulps of bitter coffee can warm the cockles of one's heart.  Soon we were able to engage Rich the Basher (real name withheld to protect his family from his orneriness) in pleasant conversation--he's an immigrant from Minneapolis and spent his life bossing people around in a warehouse.  (Didn't dare ask him what mysterious illegal contraband he was loading on to the trucks.)

Soon three more members of the MOCGMOS barged in.  Big dudes, tough and meanlike.  So they all faced one side of the narrow wall and Rick and I on the other.  Showdown at the OK Corral and Super Mart.

What could have turned into an ugly gang fight between cheesehead and Vike fans, instead turned out to be a bunch of good ole boys and two cyclo-tourists.   We laughed and teased and made fun of each other and asked directions and got good travel advice plus hot coffee and some warm local hospitality.  How good is that?

So remember, just because they're big and look ornery and nasty doesn't necessarily mean they dislike you.  Sure, they may think you're strange, not-one-of-the-gang, and look questionable in spandex and bright colors, but deep down they may be only a coffee gulp away from making a new friend. They just need a little help from you.

How many times have we pre-judged people based on body language, bib overalls, smell, or blank stares to our smile?  Instead, engage others.  Bless them.  And in blessing get ready to be blessed by God through new friends.