There are times when our eyes deceive us into seeing something that isn’t true. And then there are times when our eyes give us a clear picture—but our mind refuses to believe what’s right in front of us.
I recently had such an encounter—and I now want to laugh—and kick myself.
A Regular Day Turns Remarkable
I went to my local grocery store here in Fort Worth, less than a quarter mile from my house. I had only one item: a thirty-pack of Natural Lite beer for my husband, who was at home painting the house on his only day off.
At the checkout counter, I was struggling to lift the case from the counter into my cart. I noticed the man in line behind me ease toward me, as though unsure if it was the right thing to do.
“Can I help you with that, ma’am?” he asked. “I can lift it for you.”
He had such a sexy, cowboy voice. But he was an older gentleman. I knew that if the case was heavy for me, it would be heavy for him as well. I didn’t want him to risk hurting his back.
He reminded me of someone.
“No, thank you,” I smiled. “I really do appreciate it, but I’ve got it.”
“Tell him to get his own beer!” he said.
“Yeah, or at least a smaller size,” I laughed.
Then it hit me.
“You know what,” I said. “You remind me of one of my favorite actors, but for the life of me, I can’t think of his name right now.”
I had my back turned when I heard him respond:
“Sam Elliott?”
“Yes, that’s the one!”
The Moment of Recognition
As I turned around to put the case in the cart, he leaned on the cart, placing himself at eye level with me. I looked into his face.
I’m thinking: He even sounds like Sam Elliott. That’s Sam Elliott’s mustache, Sam Elliott’s eyebrows… but this couldn’t be Sam Elliott in Winco. That’s impossible.
“You look just like him,” I paused. “But I guess you hear that a lot?”
Standing to his full six-foot, two-inch height, he replied:
“More than you could ever imagine.”
A Fan’s Heartbeat
Now, mind you, I really love Sam Elliott, and I will watch anything with him in it. I even watched The Ranch—one of the most redneck shows you can imagine—just because he was in it. I hated it when Taylor Sheridan’s 1883 came to an end and I had to say goodbye to his character.
But I also love Taylor Sheridan. My new favorite TS show is Landman. The good news is, Sam Elliott stars in season 2 of Landman as T.L. Norris, Tommy’s estranged father.
“I asked my new friend, ‘Do you watch Landman? Sam Elliott is in season 2.’”
“No,” he said. “I haven’t watched that show.”
“You should. It’s really good.”
“Well, we’re staying with my daughter, and where she lives, she can’t get all those chanels and whatnot.”
“Oh, yeah. I know what you mean. But if you ever have a chance to watch it, please do. It’s really good and I think you’ll enjoy it.”
“I’ll do that.”
A Gracious Goodbye
Before I turned to leave, I said to his wife—a beautiful woman with a gorgeous smile and soft, reddish-brown shoulder-length hair:
“Ma’am, you are one lucky lady. You take good care of this man!”
She smiled warmly and said, “I will. I’ve been taking care of him for over thirty-eight—no, forty years now.”
I left the store as they both said, “It was nice meeting you.”
“It was nice meeting you, too.”
Realization and Reflection
At my online critique group meeting that evening, I mentioned seeing someone at the grocery store who looked just like Sam Elliott.
One of the participants responded, “You may actually have seen Sam Elliott at the grocery store. You know, he is in Fort Worth right now.”
“That’s right!” The light finally went on. “They’re filming Landman here.”
Before going to bed, I Googled pictures of Sam Elliott’s wife. And there she was—Katharine Ross, the beautiful lady I’d seen in Winco. And her husband… Sam Elliott.
Needless to say, I felt a bit silly. However, I take comfort in knowing that ours was an encounter Mr. Elliott might remember for quite a while. I can even imagine him in an interview being asked, “What was one of the funniest encounters you’ve had with a fan?” I believe our meeting will be in the top five.
Looking back, I wish I could have asked him some questions or told him how much I admire and respect him—or at least properly introduced myself. Yet, in retrospect, I realize that might have only annoyed him and his wife. After all, they were there to shop, not conduct an interview. What we shared was a very human moment—chatting with a stranger at the checkout line in the grocery store. You can’t get much more normal than that!
This moment stayed with me—and so did the fact that I couldn’t recall his name at first. In my next post, I’ll explore how fleeting thoughts shape us, and why keeping a journal matters—even if you’re not a writer.
A Thank You to Sam and Katharine
If by chance Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross were to see this post, I would like to thank them for their graciousness.
Thank you, Mr. Elliott, for the experience of a lifetime.
Of course, we know that will never happen. It’s impossible.
On second thought—I now know for a fact…
Nothing is impossible.
Want to learn more about Sam Elliott’s work? Visit his IMDb profile.