When we read stories like this, we reconsider our (chili) lives. 63 year old Gerri Guardipee, of Seattle, was sitting in her den watching TV and eating a bowl of chili one evening, when her life was about to change. Gerri had settled into her favorite chair, and was getting ready to go spoon first into a bowl of the good stuff, when she decided her chili wasn't complete.
Gerri stood up, and walked over to her refrigerator planning to grab some cheese, when she heard a tremendous noise. The noise ended up being a motor vehicle crashing through the side of her house. The totaled Infinite screeched to a halt about five feet from where she was standing, chili bowl in hand. The crash left her house a totaled mess. Debris shot everywhere, and her den's wall had been completely broken down.
"I didn't know what it was. At first I thought it was an earth quake," said Guardipee.
Gerri Guardipee avoided her demise by mere seconds. What could have been another sad story about an innocent person losing their life while eating chili, emerges a story of a true chili lovers desire for cheese.
"Good thing for cheese," said Guardipee.
There are many things we can reflect on in Gerri's chili tale here, but one comes more directly into focus for me; don't be satisfied with an average bowl of chili.
Sometimes in life we cut corners, and we do what is easiest. Not for Gerri Guardipee, and it saved her life. She was not satisfied with the standard meat, beans, and chili powder platform. Instead she decided to stand up. Stand up, and walk to the fridge.
Chili Chat proudly awards Guardipee with the Lifetime Chili Achievement award. This prestigious award has only been handed out a handful of times since Chili Chat's inception. The last LCA award was given to Phil Pedal for his courageous acts while nursing three Labrador puppies back to health using only his pick up truck and horse trough full of chili.
"It's an honor to join the ranks of someone like Phil," said Guardipee.
Video footage can be seen at CNN.com.
After doing a lot of soul searching, I found myself sitting in my own den enjoying a bowl of chili, pondering my life. Seconds after I had kicked back my footrest, I began to eye the wall of my den. I put myself in the shoes of Guardipee. I sprang up from my chair, and headed towards the kitchen, keeping one eye on my den wall just in case. I took to my cabinets, and unloaded a cornucopia of toppings onto an already busy chili stew. What came out as a result was not pretty, but I felt the chili gods would be wiping their mouths somewhere and smiling. What was once a fundamentally sound bowl of chili, now featured; oatmeal, pancake mix, chocolate syrup, four go-gurts, and a variety flavor pack of Fun Dip.
The chili stew left me very ill, and I had to call into work the next morning. But if a mid sized sedan decided to crash through my den that night, I would likely have been saved, squeezing the last few drops of a Hershey bottle into my omnichili.
Do not be satisfied with the minimum, my friends. Consider Gerri next time you order some chili, and don't be afraid to toss in an extra topping next time. It could save your life, one way or another.
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