Page 5 - NOV2019 Digital Barbecue News Magazine

bbq life
Barbecue Through My Eyes
17 year old gives a different prospective of the #BBQ Family
B
in
Raylyn Phelps
Raylyn@barbecuenews.com
Young Raylyn Phelps attending judging school.
Barbecue has played a significant
role in my life. From traveling to
Memphis In May for my biggest
barbecue competition in 2017 to
having my entire kindergarten
class sing the National Anthem at
the National Barbecue Festival, it
has been a constant. When some-
one mentions the word "barbecue"
around me, about a thousand dif-
ferent words flash through my
mind instantly. The thoughts
range from of all of the different
rubs and sauces I've gotten to taste
(and others I wish I wouldn't have
been so daring to try), to the fam-
ily I'm tied to because of a cuisine
is mind-boggling. In my 17 years of
life, I have been taught many les-
sons through people in the world
of barbecue. Lessons that have
broken my heart, made me change
my ways, to things that helped me see that at the end of the day, a family can be those you choose, not just those who you are related to.
Another thought that often passes into my train of thought; this barbecue life has made me sacrifice. I've sacrificed, on occasions, time with my dad. Now, in the long run, weekends may not seem like much to some people, and I understand that, but when you're as close to someone as I am to my dad, it can be hard. As you get older, you start to realize how important the time you spend with your parents is. It hurts sometimes, but when I log onto Facebook, and I see him doing posts with people he considers to be his barbecue family, it makes it all better. It becomes better because I know he is doing what he loves while making a living, and seeing him doing what he loves makes me happy.
The final thing I see when thinking about barbecue is happiness. As the child of someone who is in the bar- becue world, you learn to see things from a different perspective. You meet people from all different walks
of life who all come together and unite under one soul purpose, enjoying amaz- ing food. It's crazy to think about how many different people from totally oppo- site walks of life are brought together just by barbecue. I think I truly realized this walking around at Memphis In May. Within maybe an hour, I had met people from Australia, Mississippi, Illinois, Ala- bama, Florida, and California. This defi- antly opened my eyes as to how diverse and awesome the barbecue family is.
In keeping with Thanksgiving tradition, I am going to end this with a theme of grat- itude. I am very thankful for this amaz- ingly chaotic world I have been blessed to be born into. As I have previously stated, and someone who has a different perspec- tive from almost everyone else, I can hon- estly say that this barbecue life has taught me more than I ever imagined. Seeing
how our world is today, it is amazing to see how such a small, seemingly insignificant part of everyday life, brings diverse groups of people together. That's why I am thankful to have seen the barbecue world and the BBQ family through my eyes.
NOVEMBER 2019
BarbecueNews.com - 5
y