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Do you believe in signs?

March 22, 2012 By Talya Tate Boerner 11 Comments

Do you believe in signs? 
Years ago, I worked with a lady who believed when something fell from the grocery shelf as she passed by, she had no choice but to purchase that item. “It was a sign from above not to be ignored. That head of lettuce had reasoning skills and wanted to go home with her. It chose to be part of her dinner salad. Without a second thought or regret, she purchased a bruised apple or box of Fruit Loops.

Many folks imagine pennies on the parking lot are little signs from Heaven, messages from a departed loved one who still keeps watch. I like this idea, and what can it hurt? We could all use someone watching over us. But how do we know who it is?

At the horse track last week, we were convinced Daddy was sending us a very clear sign. A beautiful horse named T.Thomas was scheduled to run. With blinders on, we made our largest bet of the weekend, and backed that horse up with other smaller bets. Daddy would be so proud! He taught us everything we knew about gambling…


Anticipating that particular race all day, we toasted Daddy at post time. The starter pistol fired and “They’re offfff!” 

I never saw T.Thomas again. Did he go across the finish line? Did he fall down? Did he race at all? Crap!! He came in 5th, but may as well have been dead last. It was definitely a sign from Thomas โ€”a sure sign we needed to stop farting away money at the horse track. That was so just like him.

That night as I rinsed my bra in the sink at the Arlington Hotel and realized my only remaining clean article of clothing was a Graceland t-shirt, I decided I needed to go home to Dallas. Being down to only an Elvis shirt is a clear sign the vacation is beyond over.

I know my tight jeans are a sign of too much food and not enough exercise. Yes, I can pretend to blame the dryer or the unbearable Texas humidity which makes my body bloat like Veruca Salt, but it’s a sign of too much queso flameado. There is nothing powerful or deep about it. 

After a 2 week absence, I finally made it back to my yoga core class. As I rolled out my yoga mat, there rolled tightly inside was a big dead fly. It was a sign and not a good one. The fly was symbolic of my recent lack of yoga practice. And after the ab work we did, I felt like a big dead fly. Walking to my car, a bright shiny penny sparkled on the sidewalk. I smiled.

talya

Musical Pairings:

The Sign, Ace of Base

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” –Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: Elvis, humor, Signs, Thomas Tate

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Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    March 22, 2012 at 10:46 am

    Loved this one. I think that T.Thomas horse was a sign, but I just can’t figure out what it was. We must have read the sign wrong!! theBAT

    Reply
    • grace grits and gardening says

      March 22, 2012 at 1:40 pm

      I think he was trying to tell us to stop wasting money at the track.

      Reply
  2. Joyce Senter says

    March 25, 2012 at 2:37 pm

    Just found you.Love your blog. I sure hope nothing falls off the shelf at Krogers tomorrow. I don’want to have to buy it.

    Reply
    • grace grits and gardening says

      March 26, 2012 at 3:37 am

      Yay I’m glad you found me! Thank you so much for reading. Talya

      Reply
  3. TimH says

    November 26, 2012 at 1:37 pm

    I’m more of a ‘here’s your sign’ guy, and that’s about it for me!…haha…But T.Thomas definitely would have gotten my attention!…As always, another great one, Talya!

    Reply
  4. Susan ~ Today's Working Woman says

    February 22, 2013 at 5:23 pm

    I look for the signs…they’re everywhere. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Susan
    todaysworkingwoman.blogspot.com

    Reply
  5. Joyce Lansky says

    February 24, 2013 at 6:36 am

    Horsetrack? Graceland T-shirt? Is that a sign that you came to my town?

    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com/2013/02/being-misdirected.html

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      February 25, 2013 at 6:27 am

      Yes:)) My stomping grounds too:) I’m from Northeast Ark.

      Reply
  6. Sumita Pai says

    April 8, 2013 at 12:50 pm

    Nice post…i do believe them signs are interesting enough to teach us something always. Its fun trying to figure them out!

    Reply
  7. MAKEUP OBSESSED MOM says

    June 3, 2013 at 10:37 am

    Hah! That was a fun post! I’m stopping by from the Sweet Tea Texas bloggers mingle thing and this post caught my attention in your list. Have a great week! Stacie xo

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (Now Available!)

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