Trailside General Store

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Trailside General Store

This is a metaphor for so many towns across the U.S. This one is personal. This convenience store has been boarded up for a long time. The last time McQueen, Haden Church and I drove through town nine years ago, it was boarded up. This store was one of the places I’d walk to at just about any hour for a soda, junk food or trashy video rental. Loved this little place. This was where I scored so many points on Defender that I rolled it over. This is where I’d go for my mom’s late night Diet Coke. I took my nieces and nephews here to buy candy. A lot of memories.

Remember those pull tab contests that Pepsi did in the 1980s? I swear I got an “A” to spell C-H-A-L-L-E-N-G-E and win $10,000 or whatever the prize was. Except that I was also convinced that I threw out the winning tab early on in the contest. That’s what I told myself the entire summer as I purchased can after can of Pepsi, hoping to find the winning “A”. I drank a lot of cans and ended up with nothing but a burning desire for more Pepsi. Wait.

Maybe the two 7-11s in town what ultimately did this store in. I don’t know the details, I just know that it’s one more in a list of physical examples fading the memories of my youth.

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Daily affirmation: Seriously. Stop with the “if only….” Make today “if only…” free.