Chili Rice

 

She was a great motivator in my life. My mother was always looking forward and did not spend much time, if any, looking back. She was my inspiration in many ways.

When I was a young boy, my mother would set a goal of cleaning the house. She would motivate me to help her by promising that, when we finished with our chores, we would go to town and get some chili rice.

During the 1950s, there were only a few fast food restaurants in Tyler, Texas. There were no McDonalds, Burger Kings, Hardees, nor Kentucky Fried Chickens. Most meals were eaten at home. Times were different then. But there was a small white framed building located on South Broadway that sold chili rice. You had to order from a window because there was no place for customers to come in to dine. The building was extremely small but was in an ideal location.

It was at that place and time, when we had finished our work, that Mother would take me to get chili rice. She loved it and taught me to love it. Even today at the age of 72, I still love chili rice. We would take it home and enjoy it, often with chopped onions on top.

But the greatest part of the chili rice story is not getting the chores finished or even the food. The greatest part of the story was how she motivated me with the mindset to look forward. Get your work done first and then you can enjoy your reward. Actually, we enjoyed our work because we had a well-defined mission, the anticipated hope of chili rice. I carry this motivation with me even this very day.  Look forward and enjoy each day.