Mr. Budweiser

America has been called the cultural melting pot of the world; today, I dare to call Subway the cultural melting pot of the restaurants.  Such an extremely wide range of customers eat at Subway.  I have met the bedazzled mom and the eccentric daughter; I have met the gruff father and his fishing partner son.  I have met two construction workers from Missouri, both questionable of character, but always willing to try our premium subs.  I have met the overtly wealthy couple, appalled that the BMT is no longer a five dollar footlong.  I have met the cutest couple in the world, an estimated 17 years old and always arguing for the right to pay.  I have met the bright eyed elementary student, giddy at the thought of a free kids pack; I have met the teeny bopper, obsessed with mayo, in love with tomatoes, annoyed with me, and oblivious that the world does not revolve around her.  I have met those unacquainted with showers and too acquainted with heat; I have met those unacquainted with the toothbrush, and too acquainted with onions & Swisher Sweets.  I have met those oblivious to humor, the hard of hearing, and those foreign to the concept of turkey bacon vs. turkey and bacon.  I have met the penny pincher, the Sterzings factory worker, the joyful Shottenkirk salesman, the meatball man, the ravenous ball players, the exact-change mothers, and the double meat fanatic, all gathered under the same roof to indulge in exquisitely tasty subs.

Today, I met Mr. Budweiser, his mustache was large, and his voice was soft; his body was tall and his waste was skinny.  He reminded me of an old sturdy pine tree.  His age wasn’t shown by rings; I feared cutting this man in half.  The wrinkles across his dark forehead showed his years, half hidden by a ball cap and noticeably sweaty.  Mr. Budweiser employee asked if the cross around my neck was an Orthodox cross.  The man dumbfounded me.  I specifically chose to wear my cross today as a symbol of hope.  Is my necklace an orthodox cross?  A million things ran across my mind. I should have thought about this before I latched the hook.  What does Orthodox mean?  Note to self: figure out what Orthodox means.  I can’t hear him, what if I pretend to be deaf?  This man has caught me off guard.  Why aren’t words coming to me?  This is exciting!  I have to look ridiculous right now.  Why are my coworkers looking at me?  What kind of sandwich did he even ask for?  I had half a mind to tell him it was a Diamond Studded Cross, from the Diamond Studs of America, and that I was their Chief Stud.  Somewhat pulling myself together I lifted my jaw from the cutting board and spoke a simple, “It’s a… Christian cross…”  He looks unsatisfied.  “I got it from my friend for Christmas; I don’t know if she bought it for the meaning behind it, but to me, the cross holds a lot of meaning.”  I hesitated, should I continue?

The man looked at me, blank faced, “So it’s not an Orthodox cross?”

“Um, no?  Would you like this toasted?”  You may be a sandwich artist but you’re also a butcher, a butcher of words.  In hindsight, I’m partially ashamed for my lack of clarity in the brain.  That ironic meeting was an opportunity to delve into deeper conversation, regardless of our surroundings.  I can cling the excuse that I truly couldn’t hear him, but it’s such a lame thing to blame.  As the man left, he told me that he liked my necklace, and that we needed more religion in this world.  Our eyes connected, optical smiles were shot through invisible streams of cross communication, “Yes we do,” I replied without processing the comment.  Should Budweiser man and I been sharing a cup of coffee, I would have absorbed his observation, and replied with a very different answer.

I don’t think we need more religion in this world; there’s enough religion in this world.  God always has been, and always will be active on earth.  There’s enough spirituality in this world, our seas are battlegrounds of demons and angels.  Religion hasn’t left this world; it hasn’t been burned with the persecuted churches.  Religion flourishes with the flame of destruction and blood of believers.  There’s enough religion in this world, the problem is whether or not we let it affect us, join the movements, or acknowledge the truth.     

Though Mr. Budweiser was speaking of the world, there is enough religion in America.  There’s specifically enough Christian religion in America.  Before you raise your hand in opposition, allow me to explain what I mean.  There is enough Christian religion in America; indeed, we have enough Christianity in our states.  There are enough Bible tracts in America to easily replace toilet paper.  I’m not implying that that is where such literature belongs, but truly, we have enough literature to last through eternity.  Should we set all our Christian religious memorabilia, collectable cards, fancy figurines, books, and reference materials ablaze, our massive flames would be heaven bound.  The heat would be so intense, I’m confident God could step out on his front porch, shove a marshmallow on the end of his fork, and start cooking a smore for breakfast.  He’d have enough heat to invite Michael and Gabriel over for a campfire.  Coombaya, my Lord, coombaya. 

Christianity doesn’t cease to grow in America due to its unavailability.  No, Christianity is hampered in America due to its availability.  Convenience ironically breeds such apathy and boredom.   Our homes hold 5 or more Holy Bibles, each branded with our names, but foreign to our hearts.   Intense with opportunity, we struggle to awake on Sunday mornings, deciding whether or not we’ll attend first service or second.  With an ever so exaggerated moan, we press the snooze; after all, there’s always Sunday and Wednesday nights.  Oh to see our world with an impartial set of eyes, a pair of pupils that would expose our irony and idiocy for what it truly is.

Mr. Budweiser, you’ve given me a lot to think about.  Do we need more religion in our world?  Not really, perhaps the quality of authenticity could be improved, as well as the sporadic hypocrite followers, but our world doesn’t need more religion, it needs more open hearts.  There’s enough religion in this world, it’s just not being absorbed by the people in this world.  Perhaps that’s a good thing, not imbibing all that is sprinkled upon us, but perhaps our resistance will make us nothing more than obsessive self appeasing dry sponges.  I thank God for your comment, and hope you enjoyed your tuna. 

Learning to live on my toes,
Jaime