Doug Larson once said, “Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk.” There is a great deal of truth to that statement, and reminds me of many diverse conversations I listened to as a young man in a most unusual place, my local hardware store.
As a teenager, I was often engaged in some project or other that required a visit to Snodgrass Hardware, right on the corner of the busy intersection of Horatio Avenue and Highway 17-92 in the heart of downtown Maitland, Florida. Sometimes I needed an item to repair my lawn mower, wood screws to complete a bookcase, pegboard hooks for the garage, a can of paint, or just needed to have the chain for my chainsaw sharpened.
The store, just two miles from home, was a great place to “hang out” early on a Saturday morning. Usually, I rode my bike, helped myself to a complimentary mug of coffee, and listened in on the lively conversations at the checkers board while perusing the store for my purchase. The game board, supported by an old barrel, was a popular place to be, and provided pleasant diversion to a wide variety of folks. It was there, I think, that I first truly appreciated the value of quietly listening, rather than speaking.
I grew up in the Fifties and Sixties and lived in the South before the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As a five-year-old, I witnessed signs over the water fountain and bathrooms in Sears and Roebuck that said, “Whites Only” and asked my dad what that meant. Like others, I was stunned by the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. I listened in on many controversial conversations at the hardware store including such topics as segregation, integration, voting rights, taxes, political opinions, and local issues. Each contributed something to my knowledge base and helped shape some of my youthful opinions.
As I look back upon some of my experiences growing up in Maitland, I am reminded that Snodgrass Hardware was more than just a store. It was a gathering spot for many in our community and a place where diverse opinions were shared with civility and respect. I learned a great deal from such exchanges and have come to appreciate just how important they were then, and of how important they are now.
Let’s keep talking and listening to one another. Hardware store wisdom. Who knew?
“Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress.”
Mahatma Gandhi
