A sign?

I just learned that Charlie's Steakhouse in Pflugerville is going out of business after 40 years. I have literally been eating there my entire life. Growing up, it was pretty much the only place to eat in our sleepy little town. I have vivid memories of everyone turning to look at you as you entered the dark restaurant. I used to hate that. Later, they added windows and I remember not liking them at first because it changed the ambiance. The bathroom has been the same since they opened - the uneven floor, the retro flower prints on the walls and the icky reusable towel hand dryer thing that goes around and around in a circle and I never understood how it was clean just by rotating it through the wall unit. Many of the waitresses have worked there for 20 or 30 years and know you by name.

I haven't been in awhile, for obvious reasons, but it was one of the last places I ate prior to surgery. Best Chicken Fried Steak ever. I'll also remember the Broiled Catfish platter, the vegetable beef soup that grandpa used to order with mostly juice so he could soak his bread in it, the enchilada plate with extra onions my mom would order, the hamburger steak (omg, yum), and the lunch or dinner specials that came with pudding for dessert. Most of all, I'll remember that they had the best iced tea anywhere, served in the smallest glasses. And the crackers they served with hot sauce. I will be sad when they close their doors...there are a lot of fond memories of eating there with my grandparents and the rest of my family.

I laughed at my first thought: "Geez, I lose 60 pounds and it forces them out of business!" I guess this is just one more sign that I am leaving my old life behind and moving on to a new, healthier one, right?