I had fun last night. I waited tables to help my friend, Sandi Mueller, cater a dinner at Texas Heritage Vineyard. We set the tables. Brought out the food. Cleared used dishes. Brought out more food. And then cleaned up at the end. It was an altogether satisfying evening. And we did it without much fuss, while two superb musicians, Walt Wilkins and Darden Smith, entertained.

The last time I did such work was more than 60 years ago during my freshman and sophomore year of high school when I entertained the idea of joining the priesthood and went away to the seminary. To train us to service everyone had to take a turn waiting tables, cleaning up, and doing dishes. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was right in my wheelhouse. I did the same at home as the oldest of four boys. Dishes. Mom cooked; the boys cleaned.

I wonder sometimes if it might be a good idea to have everyone in this country enter into service where they did things for other people. Helped out. Lent a hand. Made things better. Taught people how to see things from someone else’s perspective. The draft used to do that, bring people together from all walks of life, from all parts of the country, but we know how that turned out. A ready made army was just too handy to ignore. There’s a big monument to that episode in Washington, DC. But one can always hope that somewhere down the road some nice thing will happen to make this country a better, more civil place.