Sam’s Chili may seem like a shady restaurant, but outside judgments are washed away once you enter the restaurant. The restaurant, opened in 1967, has great food, but an even better experience.

I had never been to Sam’s until Sunday, April 6, when I visited before a Shrek dress rehearsal. I went with Drew Kahny and Matt Listermann, two frequent visitors who had gone with the Honor Guard many times before Elder football games. I had no idea what to order, but they recommended I try the chicken.

I ordered chicken and fries, and while I was waiting, John, the delivery man for Sam’s, came back and started to talk to us. He talked with us about multiple subjects, but two of his biggest points were being grateful for his blessings, and how you look at yourself in a mirror.

John has two daughters who graduated from Purcell Marian High School, and both are in college, one an Air Force staff sergeant at the University of Maryland, and the other a freshman at Northern Kentucky University. He’s very proud of both of them.

John asked us, “When you look in the mirror every day after you wake up, what do you see?”

No one could come up with a definite answer, so he told us,  “The only thing that’s present in the mirror is yourself. Everything else is behind you.” I thought about this, and he’s right. Even though we struggle and fall at times, the only thing we can change is our present. Our past may have been good or bad, but we’re in the present.

Listermann felt the same way. “His talk about the “mirror of life” made me realize that what has happened in the past has been shaped who I am today, and I cannot dwell on it. He told me that I need to focus on the moment at hand,” he said.

John also showed us a book that he is reading called “Introduction to Reflective Thinking.” We conversed, and had an enlightening conversation about different philosophy.

After talking for a good twenty minutes, our food was ready. The chicken was to die for. Sam’s uses mustard in their chicken breading for an extra kick, which made the chicken even better. Sam’s also has great fries and mozzarella sticks, and is also very affordable, which is also appealing. I would recommend eating there as soon as possible.

When we left, John left us with a few last thoughts. He told us, “If I don’t see you again, please know that I love my two daughters, and I cherish every day. Let go, and let God.”

I’ve taken these as a motto, and I’ve been living a better life recently because I’m thankful for every moment I have, and I have been closer to God.

I left Sam’s with a new appetite and a new taste for life. You can easily pass judgment on the restaurant across the street, but you don’t know Sam’s until you’ve met John and had the Sam’s experience.