Around sixth grade, Jonita and I were having a great day touring the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, MO. I’d never been around llamas before, so I didn’t know they spat at humans when distressed, annoyed, or threatened. As we stood on the other side of the fence, we were acting goofy and giggling and I was talking rather loud. (Since that day, I’ve learned there are two signs that let you know a llama is getting ready to spit. The llama will pin its ears back and then stare at its target. Next, a llama will move its neck and raise its head up and spit either from its mouth or stomach.) Well, I made the llama angry and, sure enough, a flying torpedo of spit missed my face by an inch. After the initial shock, we erupted in hysterical laughter and stumbled away to the monkey cage where I was the target of flying poop. I seem to have a special rapport with zoo animals.

Llamas, alpacas, and camels are all from the same family. In the Old Testament, the Midianites were among the first to use camels in warfare.“…they [Midianites] would come like locusts in number — both they and their camels could not be counted — so that they laid waste the land as they came in” (Judges 6:5 ESV). The one-humped dromedary can travel more than 150 miles in one day. The two-humped Bactrian camel is slower but can carry more weight than the dromedary. Camels live to be 40-50 years old, and can weigh 1,800 pounds. They drink 30 gallons of water in 13 minutes and run 25-40 mph. You certainly want to stay on the good side of camels because they can be dangerous and unpredictable. If they become angry, they can wreck an entire campsite!  

It’s not just camels that can wreck stuff when they get angry. Humans can totally destroy relationships if they let anger take control of their emotions and actions. Vicious and hateful attitudes toward others are dangerous undercurrents which can develop into anger. “I will bridle my anger, trash my wrath, cool my pipes — it only makes things worse” (Psalm 37:8 MSG). When llamas get super mad, they spit terrible stinky junk from their stomach. If they’re simply annoyed, they just spit saliva from their mouth. But whatever they spit, it’s not pleasant if you’re the target. (I know from first-hand experience!)

In the middle of writing this column, I was insulted and offended by a spur-of-the-moment situation that made me so angry I could chew up nails and spit out a barbed wire fence. However, after recounting the episode with four trusted loved ones, I finally got to the point where I could laugh about it. Before I hit the hay that evening, I had trashed my temptation to spit and had chosen the better option of uproarious laughter. “And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil“ (Ephesians 4:26,27).

Anger that’s not nipped in the bud is a serious problem and God’s Word gives us a lot of  instruction on it. It’s natural to experience anger, but it’s important to quickly handle it in a godly manner. Being madder than a snake who married a garden hose shouldn’t last a week, month, or year. And getting mad as a mule chewing on bumble bees shouldn’t be an everyday occurrence either. “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them” (Proverbs 15:1,18 NLT).

The Key: Don’t waste your money on a spittoon, just get over “it” before you go to bed.

It is common knowledge that the shopping habits of Americans have changed dramatically in my lifetime, particularly that of small town residents.  Gone are the days when I walked into the locally-owned grocery store by myself as a child in my home town of 1,300, and everyone called me by name.  The five-and-dime where I bought cinnamon balls, Bazooka bubble gum and comic books is a thing of the past.  No more soda counters.  What happened?

The biggest megatrend to hit rural America was big box stores, such as K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc.  The concentration of buying power enabled them to cut prices and undersell locally-owned stores who could not compete.  Good for the consumer in terms of prices and increased selection, bad for small town retail businesses.  Even newspapers suffered, as these stores usually had their own distribution system of flyers, often bypassing print media.  Hundreds of small town newspapers have closed or dramatically decreased their frequency of publication over the last several decades. Around 7% of America’s counties now have no local news outlet and around 20% are at risk of their communities becoming news deserts in the foreseeable future.

Also, since President Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act of 1956, federal and state roads have continued to improve incrementally.  Do you remember how bad 69 Highway was between Overland Park and Fort Scott?  With the vast improvements of 69 Highway North and South and 54 Highway East and West, small town shoppers have no problem driving an hour or so for more shopping choices.  As evidence, our “Pull Factor” (the percentage of every dollar a Bourbon County resident spends of their income locally, plus tourists and passerbys) has dipped to 70% in recent years.

The last great megatrend might be the most impactful for local businesses: The Internet.  It is way too easy to click on a web site and buy what you need without leaving your couch.  One would expect this trend to continue.  We are even getting our entertainment via online streaming services now.  How does a local business compete?

When a population is shrinking, such as it is in every county in Southeast Kansas, it is easy to understand that a business that sells exclusively to the local population will have less sales down the road.  The only small town businesses that have a chance to grow are those who sell primarily to out-of-town clients, such as the two window manufacturers we have in Bourbon County.  The other winning strategy is selling to the increased traffic count on 69 Highway and visitors.

The board and staff at Bourbon County REDI understands these megatrends and are engaging strategies that will help stem the tide and play to our strengths, which are many in our neck of the woods.  We believe in Bourbon County and its future; that is why we live here.  We encourage you to shop locally and support tourism by welcoming those from out of town.  It is the least we can do to move us forward together.