Hey, Are You Amish? Cool.

Over the years, I have seen a lot of Amish people. A lot of Mennonite people, too. For some reason, I see these identifiable people in all kinds of weird places; they wear distinctive and unusual clothes. I almost always see them when I go to amusement parks. Sometimes at museums, too. One memorable time, a group was at the beach at the same time I was. It was fascinating to me. I took pictures--discreetly, of course. The women were dressed in black long skirts and long sleeved shirts, with kerchiefs on their heads. The men had taken off their hats, but the suspenders and long sleeved shirt and pants were in place. They were boogie boarding. They were also very sunburned on the parts where skin caught sunshine. I can tell you that I have never seen another group of adults having as much goofy fun as they were having. Middle-aged Amish women really like to boogie board.

So I wasn't surprised a week or so ago, on Valentine's Day, when I saw Mennonites sleeping on a restaurant floor. I was surprised at the blankets and pillows. We had all been stranded at a truck stop since the afternoon before because of white-out snow conditions on the highway I was driving from a visit to Kansas City to pick up a friend at the airport in Omaha and then home to Sioux City. The Mennonites numbered about twelve adults and four or five children. They were very nice to each other. I saw no cranky tantrums, or snapping, or grumpy demands. The children slept and then got up and were very pleasant. I couldn't tell whose children belonged to whom. All the adults seemed in equal standing. I liked watching this peaceful interaction. They were even smiling. Remarkable.

The rest of us weren't faring as well, except for the truckers; they'd all been through a snow delay on the road before. I didn't know what to do with myself. I spent enormous amounts of time going back and forth to my car, as if that would make the storm go away faster. The Mennonites were passing the time talking quietly and being serene.

I'm not sure what the Universe is trying to teach me with all of these Mennonite/Amish sightings. Am I supposed to be living a simpler life? Or, perhaps, am I there for them, because I always smile and nod my head? I suppose they like the little recognition on my part that they are on to something . . . something that looks pretty cool from the outside.