The Mysterious Mr. Clark
What I learned from an old man in a Waffle House
My hangover was so horrific I ordered a Mt. Dew at Taco Bell. I hadn’t had a Mt. Dew since I drove across Yemen with two Yemen dudes and an AK-47. Meth in a can. Teeth be damned.
Gay bars get the best of me. Every time. Joe Biden finally got enough electoral votes to be declared the new President Elect so I headed to Midtown in Atlanta to party in the streets. The party moved into one of the best bars in Atlanta, Blake’s.
Anyway, it was the morning after and I was eating at Waffle House. Specifically, I was eating two waffles, eggs, bacon, hash browns, and an unsweet tea because sugar is bad for you obviously. As I scarfed the food down, I noticed an old man sitting at the counter. Alone. He was continually scanning the restaurant for people to talk too. He was so happy I initially thought he might be handicap.
He talked to a black lady sitting in the table next to me. She was Facetiming with a friend. He didn’t care. He asked her how she was and chatted for a minute. At the end he told her he loved her. Then he turned and chatted with the staff. Then he saw a small child leaving and played peak a boo with his hands covering his face only to open them with a magnificent smile. The child smiled and giggled.
He had white hair clinging to the sides of his head. The top was bald and shiny. He reminded me of Terry Bradshaw, the old Pittsburg Steelers quarterback from the 1800’s. An older man probably in his 70’s. He wore a flannel shirt and light-colored grandpa jeans. The kind with pleats.
I couldn’t stop watching him. He was making everyone happy. Hell, it made me happy just watching him be happy. Contagious.
“Bye Mr. Clark!” several people called out as he was leaving.
“I will see you tomorrow,” He smiled and waved as shuffled out to his little old, white truck. A tiny truck really. Very plain. Simple.
Happy people make people happy. Ever noticed that? What is the key to happiness? Maybe it is being around happy people.
I like Mr. Clark.
If you want to be happy, surround yourself with happy people. If you want to attract happy people, be a happy person. It’s math.
Trey