USA. A Mexican restaurant. We had not yet ordered anything, and the food was already arriving.
Chips. Salsa. Unrequested. Free.
I stopped the waiter. "We have not earned these."
"They just come with the table, man."
They come with the TABLE. In my land, hospitality is a debt. Every gift creates an obligation, weighed carefully, returned in the proper season with interest of feeling. Here, the gift arrives before you have even proven you can pay for dinner.
This is not an appetizer. This is a declaration: we trust you. Eat.
I ate with the gravity the moment deserved. And then — I must report this calmly — the basket emptied, and a new one appeared.
"Did we…?"
"Refill," the waiter said. "It's bottomless."
Bottomless. They have wells of salsa. The supply lines of this nation are beyond anything my ancestors imagined.
My friend warned me. "Don't fill up on chips, dude."
Too late. I had accepted three baskets. Honor demanded each one be finished — an unfinished gift is an insult. By the time my actual food arrived, I was a ruined man.
I was not hungry. I was not comfortable. I had been defeated by a courtesy.
Generosity that arrives before the request cannot be repaid. It can only be survived.
I know the rule now. I have made my peace with the basket. One basket. Two at the most.
Who am I deceiving. There is no number of baskets I would refuse. The trust of a nation is in that salsa, and I intend to honor all of it.
The storm that you are in will end. It will run its course. All you have to do is keep fighting. Keep believing. Make the proper adjustments.. God has something special in store for you and you will see the sunshine on your life if you don’t give up.
It's a 4 game sweep for @RCCEagsBaseball over Hocking College. My weekend stats:
BA .500 (6 for 12)
OPS 1.071
2 RBIs
2 Runs scored
1 stolen base
#rolleags
The @UGABasketball game against Oklahoma is still scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. Saturday inside Stegeman Coliseum. All gates open at 5 p.m.
We urge fans to use extreme caution and be extra diligent when traveling to and from the game. Please plan on arriving early and be careful when walking outside the Coliseum.
UGA students are admitted for free when showing their valid UGA ID at Gate H.
🎟️: https://t.co/VfesXyOprc
#GoDawgs
2 years ago today on January 9, 2023, #Georgia captures its second consecutive national championship as Stetson Bennett receives one of football’s all-time greatest curtain calls.
Bennett: 18-25-0-304-4 passing, 3-39-2 rushing vs. TCU
@ugasportscom
Bulldog Nation, YOUR @UGABasketball team is off to a 7-1 start & 27 NET ranking!
You can help us keep the momentum going by showing up tomorrow night 7pm vs Notre Dame!
1 fan who retweets this tweet will be randomly selected to receive 2 tickets to the SEC FB championship vs Texas this Saturday! 🎟️
Wear 🔴 and #GoDawgs
Let the good times roll… I’M COMING HOME!! #GODAWGS 🐶
John 16:33 “here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows, BUT fear not, because I have overcome the world”