A Duck Out of Water

Last week I had business in Little Rock Arkansas and after work one day I was looking to find a Wal-Mart to get a couple of things.  It was pouring down rain (the week of their floods)  as I headed down Interstate 35. When I came to a large intersection I turned right and soon saw it was an industrial area so I kept driving.  Once again I came to a larger intersection and turned right again.

Then the scenery changed because I found myself in a run down area of Little Rock with windows broken out of many buildings and writing on many walls.  I found a store to get the things I needed and thought I'd head back to the Interstate and on to my hotel.  But the road I came from was now flooded and so I had to take a left and a new adventure.

Soon I came upon a shopping area and found a KFC so I thought, I'd get some dinner.  I never thought anything about it until I got out of the truck and walked into the KFC.  I was the only white person there and got stares from every direction. 

The clerk behind the counter greeted me with a smile, "I'll bet you stopped here for some good Kentucky Fried Chicken.  I did a little more than a nod in a guarded state.  He could tell I was a little nervous and said,  "We make the best chicken in Little Rock.  That's why you see all the other folks here." 

There was someone at the drive thru and he started talking back to them like he had known them all his life.  I said, "Is that a friend of yours?"  He comment was, "Never saw him in my life but  no one gets a civil break here".  That eased my mind a little and I placed my order.

When it came, he said, "Whittie, I know your lost but we are sure glad you are here."  Then laughed really big as I sat down for my meal.  He came over and asked me where I was headed and I said "Back to the Airport".  He gave me directions and once again laughed and said, "Glad you stopped in.  You gave some class to this place."

I thought, I was a duck out of water and he made me feel at ease.  I now know how a black person feels in an all white crowd.  I was totally out of my element, but this man helped me feel at ease.

I recall another time when I was at the Ohio Governor's mansion where I was attending a cocktail party and felt the same way.  The only difference was no one except the Governor and his daughter made me feel at ease.  Color has nothing to with it as much as being outside your comfortable environment.

As you go through your day is there someone who needs to be put at ease in the environment they find themselves in?  Be the catalyst to helping someone feel at ease.  You will make their day!