This is a true story. I couldn’t make this up. Here’s the voice mail message I had to leave for my business official this morning:
David, I’m going to be late for work. You have to take the conference call at 7:30 with the attorney and tell him we’ll call him when I get there. I have an Amish guy in the car with me and we’re looking for his horse.
My commute from home to school is 22 miles of beautiful country roads. No traffic jams, no toll booth, no guy next to me with road rage.
This morning, like every morning, it was dark out and I was humming along as usual. As I rounded the corner by Everett Mosher’s old farm, I saw a horse racing toward me down the side of the road. Before I could think through what the heck I should do about it, I came upon an Amish man standing in the road, waving his tiny flashlight wildly. Not being the dumbest person on the planet, it didn’t take much to realize, “here is the owner of the rogue horse”.
I don’t know what you would do, but I stopped. I was worried someone would hit that horse or this Amish guy! As you would expect, he wondered if I’d seen his horse. I naturally exclaimed, “Yes, I just saw him racing down the side of the road, get in and we’ll go get him!”
It wasn’t until we were headed down our third back road when I thought, “how am I going to get out of here? I’ve got a lot of work to do today. I can’t be chasing down run-away horses with some Amish guy!” But what could I do? I made every turn he asked me to, looked for tracks in the snow on the side of the road, and peered into every field. When we stopped at every other barn and I waited as he ran around it looking for his horse, I couldn’t help but think, “now here’s something that doesn’t happen when you’re the superintendent of Williamsville or Clarence or Orchard Park.”
His frequent expletives of “doggonit” and “that fricken horse!” were hysterical but I didn’t dare laugh because the guy was ticked. Here was my glimpse into another culture, right here next to me in my car. When he saw his horse in a pasture on some godforsaken back road, I felt immense relief. As he jumped from the car and said, “I hope I can catch him”, I did what any working woman would do. I hightailed it out of there before the horse took off and I was back on the hunt again!
Only a small school rural superintendent gets adventures like this one–gotta love it. 😉
This is pretty funny – it should be used at a staff meeting!
Your blog was on a list of blogs to check out for a course I am taking in Web 2.0. Your story about the Amish man looking for his horse was a classic. I don’t think our superintendent in a suburban community in central Connecticut is likely to encounter such a situation! Thank you for keeping it real.
What a way to start the day! Rivals my story of the day I locked myself out of my house (without car keys) and had to ride my bike–in high heeled boots and dress coat–to my neighbor’s house. (picture my name tag flying in the wind and various morning commuters laughing as they passed me by) My first choice was the riding lawn mower, but sadly those keys were also locked inside the house.
A great story and one that warmed my heart and brought a smile to my face. I don’t see Amish unless I’m near South Dayton or north toward Centerville, but I cannot help but admire them. It’s said you can tell a great deal about a person’s character who helps those who are not in a position to repay the favor, so I think you did not only the right thing, but the best thing too.
I LOVE IT!!!
Only in WNY!!!
There’s no place like home 🙂
Kim- That was hilarious but oh so true. You can use that at one of your superintendents meetings.
It sure brought the “two different cultures” right to the forefront. Something we see every day but don’t think anything of it until it enters into “our” world.
I would have not thought twice that you would have stopped, that is just the person that you are and you prove it in everything you do, even when it is totally out of the ordinary.
You can add “horse chaser” to your resume now!!!!
LOL! I knew there was a reason I surfed and came back to your blog tonight! You sure made me laugh! Only you Kim!!