The Grand Slam

This morning, my daughter and I went to Denny’s for the free Grand Slam breakfast deal. We joined the dozens of others who had the same idea and who were willing to wait the half hour for a seat. It was worth the wait. 

The staff was hurriedly friendly. The folks at other tables were smiling, conversing loudly, and in general having a good time eating free food. The atmosphere was relaxed. And the breakfast was good. “Real food,” the waitress said. After having eaten our “real food” and having enjoyed the company of strangers who had no clue we were even in the restaurant, we left. We were satisfied. I was satisfied and content.

But my satisfaction and contentment went beyond the physical. There was something spiritually satisfying about joining a communal desire for free food. My daughter’s company made the experience doubly meaningful because we shared unspoken thoughts in looks and grins with each other. We laughed at the number of vehicles in the parking lot. We moaned at the line of people stretching down the sidewalk outside the door. We smiled at our neighbors’ loud conversation because we overheard every word. We greeted someone we knew. To each other, we commented on the cuteness of the children around us. We connected with each and the rest of the diners.

Odd as it may sound, it was a free-food connection. We were all connected to each other by one event. As far as I could see, which was pretty much the entire dining area, everyone was having Grand Slam. That means we all went there for the same reason, and together we were enjoying that reason. I’ll bet everyone there left feeling satisfied and content and attributed it to “real food.” But in my estimation, there was a bit more to the experience. There was a spiritual feeding that took place simply by being of one mind in the company of others. Unbeknownst to most, the Grand Slam breakfast nourished more than a company of bodies. Souls were nourished too.

Creator of Real Food, thanks for the Grand Slam!