The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe - 124: At The Crossroads

Episode Date: February 14, 2019

Where one can ponder a big decision and enjoy a continental breakfast.  Sponsored by Postmates, use promo code: ROWE

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This is the way I heard it. The traveler was wise and had a way with words. The innkeeper was young and in need of advice. So the two men chatted at the crossroads over a continental breakfast, as innkeepers and their guests often do. Thing is, said the innkeeper, I didn't sign up for any of this. The rooms, the restaurant, the property. Suddenly, it's all in my name.

I'm worried. The traveler sipped his tea. Why worry? worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble. But I didn't borrow anything, said the innkeeper. I just inherited something I don't want. Now I'm stuck here. It's not fair.

The traveler shrugged and sipped some more tea. It's better to offer no excuse than a bad one. Besides, human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected. We must therefore consult our means rather than our wishes. The young innkeeper frowned. The traveler sure had away with words, but these were not the words he wanted to hear. With respect, sir, I have my own wishes.

I have my own dreams. What am I supposed to do? Abandon them? The traveler considered the question. From the moment he checked in, everything had been first-rate. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The food was well prepared.

The staff was courteous. Clearly, the young innkeeper was not only good at his job, he was filling a need, providing food and shelter on a busy highway. Could he not see the opportunity before him? Listen to me, young friend. Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bitter. Truth be told, I'd rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world. But we must labor to keep alive in our breasts that little spark of celestial

fire called conscience, and never forget that perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages. Do you understand? The young innkeeper sighed. He had expected the traveler to tell him to follow his passion, to never give up on his dreams, but the traveler knew that dreams were untrustworthy things and passions subject to change. You see, once upon a time, the traveler had dreamed of becoming a great soldier and serving his king, like his father before him and his grandfather before him. The traveler shared this dream with the young innkeeper and saw the confusion flash across his face. You, sir, a servant of the king? But that would have changed everything.

The traveler offered the innkeeper a rare smile and spoke again, this time with all the kindness he could muster. Destiny, he said, cannot be resisted by the strongest efforts of human nature. Maybe it was the wisdom of his words, or maybe it was the power of the man. Whatever the case, the innkeeper, was inspired. I do understand, he said, I will honor my father's legacy. I will become the best innkeeper I can possibly be. So help me God. The traveler cocked his head. So help me God. They weren't in a courtroom, but still, the words had a nice ring to them. Perhaps they would come in handy somewhere down the road. For the next 30 years, an innkeeper named John Spurrier ran a very prosperous tavern at the crossroads of Route 1 and Maryland 175,

and by all accounts found happiness in his work. Today, Spurrier's Tavern is gone, replaced by a Holiday Inn, where you might enjoy a freshly baked cookie upon check-in, along with free Wi-Fi and a continental breakfast. You might also notice a modest plaque, dedicated to the frequent traveler who visited that same address no less than 25 times, 25 visits that afforded him,

25 opportunities to chat with the young innkeeper, rub elbows with the other guests, enjoy a pint by the roaring fire, and talk about life at the crossroads. It was his first stay, however, that's worth recalling today, the trip that took him from his beloved farm up to Spurrier's Tavern

and eventually to New York City, where, according to witnesses, the traveler displayed unusual emotion while promising to preserve, protect, and defend a certain document, a document that contained a certain oath. An oath, the traveler repeated word for word, until he got to the very end, at which point he added for more of his own.

So help me God. Which begs the obvious question, why? Why did he change the wording of a document he was sworn to preserve and defend even as he was swearing to preserve and defend it. Was he more religious than we knew? Was he overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge before him? Or did he simply like the way those words sounded when the young innkeeper spoke them two weeks before?

Historians can't seem to agree, but this much is undeniable. For all of human history, powerful leaders of every stripe have always kept themselves separated from the people they ruled. Kings and queens and sheiks and shawls, pharaohs, czars, and cons have all lorded themselves above the common man. Well, that all changed when a former colonel in the British army reconsidered the policies of the monarch he served and famously concluded, tis better to be alone than to be in bad company. Thus, if the current resident of the White House should find himself at the crossroads of Route 1 and Maryland 175 chatting with a fellow citizen over a continental breakfast at the Holiday Inn, it would not be

an unprecedented meeting. It would, however, be uniquely American, thanks to a former British soldier who stopped at those very same crossroads three centuries ago on his way to America's first inauguration. A politician who preferred to remain a farmer, but deferred his dream and postponed his passion and thus remained true to that little spark of celestial fire in his breast that he called conscience, a general who refused to become a king even when his own Congress offered him a crown, a leader who lingered at the crossroads of history to share a few unforgettable words with a fellow citizen

and borrow a few in return a traveler named George Washington so help me God that's the way I heard it wait this is a soda yeah and it has protein 10 grams no sugar zero

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