A simple story from the Brazilian flyover zone

This morning I was reading the online book description of "Forty Acres Deep," by Michael Perry and the description included a phrase that reminded me of a recent encounter here in my interior Paraiba city. The phrase is "Seamed with grim humor and earthy revelations, it is an unforgiving story...and yet leaves open the idea that we might surrender to hope."

Recently we were grocery shopping at our fairly large, locally owned regional supermarket. It was to be a quick stop that turned into a full grocery cart of items. We had just come out of the open central market where I had met a local producer to buy his braided garlic, once an important export from our region no longer practiced because of national and international imports. I thought it would be a quick stop just for ketchup.... but the purchases quickly mounted.

At the cash register the tall price generated resulted in an impressive number of slips generated from the receipt printer.

Impressed I commented, "Wow! THAT'S a lot of paper!"

To which my wife responded, "And one of these will win me my new car." [Each slip a contest entry form]

And I flippantly (with humor) retorted, "Ah, so many entry forms already and you have yet to win any car!"

The cashier indifferently added, "But look at how much HOPE she has gained."

Circle back to Michael Perry, from the heartland of the flyover zone (Wisconsin) and considering the Brazilian flyover zone where I love to reside, buried deep in my sometimes-hard-to-make-sense-of Paraiba world:

"Seamed with grim humor and earthy revelations, it is an unforgiving story...and yet leaves open the idea that we might surrender to hope."

Hope is a powerful tool!

mberigan