We dined at the Shoney’s, where everyone was quite friendly and helpful. After watching the employees and the other patrons for a time and listening to speech patterns, I was reminded that we were in the center of Appalachia. Now, you could blindfold and drop someone in the Shoney’s in Columbus or Indianapolis or Peoria and the experience would be largely the same. In Appalachia, along with your slice of chocolate pie, you get a slice of their culture.

My daughter is a good student and has plans to attend college. I have not felt the need to have the conversation regarding flipping hamburgers versus owning the McDonald’s. She too observed the passing scene and concluded quickly that the young ladies working as servers that evening, most of whom were only a few years older, had few prospects for more interesting or lucrative employment. We talked back and forth about why a person might choose to stay there and work at Shoney’s and whether they were content or not.

The important conclusion for my daughter was made on her own, with no prodding. She believes that she would not find contentment in those circumstances. I could have tried to convince her of this 12 different ways, but my words would not have a 10th of the impact of what she concluded all by herself. Thus, the point that success comes through hard work was made without lifting a finger – just a fork.

These serendipitous experiences reminded me that sometimes the journey is the destination and that lessons can be found in the most unlikely places – even the Shoney’s in northern Tennessee.

Be happy.

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