Action Taken Despite Absence Of Complete Consensus
By Tom Seest
At Sequatchie Crossing, we tell the stories of Sequatchie Crossing.
Please share this post with your friends, family, or business associates who may want follow the news from Sequatchie Crossing.
🎤 Audio Overview
Decision Made Without Delay or Full Agreement – Featured Image
Act I — The Matter Arrives Before It Fully Exists
The trouble with most decisions in Sequatchie Crossing was not making them.
The trouble was waiting for everyone to agree they were decisions.
That Tuesday morning began on the porch outside Town Hall, where Clovis Strickland sat in his usual chair with a notebook that contained mostly observations and very few solutions.
Across the street, Daisy the hound trotted down Main Street with the certainty of an elected official who had never lost an election.
She crossed the road.
She stopped.
She sniffed a mailbox.
Then she continued onward without hesitation.
Clovis watched her.
“There’s your problem,” he muttered.
What problem?” asked Mabel Dean Ashcroft.
She had arrived carrying a folder thick enough to suggest paperwork but thin enough to contain none.
“The dog.”
“The dog ain’t a problem.”
“No,” said Clovis. “She’s demonstrating the problem.”
Mabel squinted.
Act I — The Matter Arrives Before It Fully Exists
“The dog’s walking.”
“Exactly.”
Mabel sat down beside him.
“Clovis, you’ve reached an age where simple events have started becoming metaphors.”
Before he could answer, Eugene “Boot” Barnes emerged from Town Hall carrying a tape measure, a shovel, and a level.
Clovis pointed.
“See? There.”
Boot paused.
“What?”
“You already got tools.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t even know what the meeting’s about.”
Boot shrugged.
“Figured I’d save time.”
Mabel laughed.
That’s because Boot knows every town meeting ends with somebody needing a shovel.
Inside Town Hall, people slowly assembled.
Sheriff Peeler sat near the front.
Officer Kenny Joe Teeter leaned against the wall.
Trixie Jo Bartlett and Tiffany Annette Roark occupied neighboring chairs while quietly disagreeing about something neither could remember beginning.
Shelley Fawn Wexler arranged notes.
Santiago “Sonny” Morales carried coffee.
RT Mullins carried two coffees and no explanation.
Maggie Sue Dillard arrived with muffins.
Lurleen Davenport arrived with opinions.
Evelyn Grace Tipton arrived with additional opinions.
Dr. Neil Cowgill arrived because somebody had written “community infrastructure concern” on the agenda and he wanted to know whether infrastructure was sick.
Pastor Arnold Peeler entered last.
“Morning, everybody.”
“Morning, Pastor.”
The meeting officially began when nobody objected to its beginning.
Shelley stood.
We’ve received multiple requests regarding the pathway between Town Hall, the diner, and the church.
Immediately everyone nodded.
Nobody had known the meeting was about that.
Yet somehow everyone already had thoughts.
“The pathway floods during rain,” Shelley continued.
“The gravel washes away.”
“The mud gets tracked everywhere.”
“We’ve studied options.”
Clovis leaned toward Mabel.
“Watch this.”
“What?”
“Resistance.”
“What resistance?”
“The resistance that ain’t coming.”
Shelley held up three proposals.
Proposal A involved studies.
Proposal B involved committees.
Proposal C involved simply paving the pathway.
The room became unusually quiet.
Then Lurleen raised her hand.
“I don’t entirely agree with paving.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Neither do I.”
Trixie spoke.
“I prefer decorative stone.”
Tiffany shook her head.
“I don’t.”
Sheriff Peeler folded his arms.
“Well. There it is.”
“What?” asked Sonny.
“Maximum disagreement.”
Everyone looked around.
Surprisingly, he was right.
Nobody fully agreed.
But nobody strongly opposed anything either.
Pastor Peeler smiled.
“Interesting.”
“What is?” asked Maggie Sue.
“We may have reached the rare condition where everyone has preferences but nobody has objections.”
The room considered that.
Boot stood.
“So are we paving it?”
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Mabel sighed.
“Sure.”
Lurleen shrugged.
“Fine.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Good enough.”
Trixie smiled.
“I still prefer stone.”
Tiffany smiled back.
“I know.”
Shelley blinked.
“Wait. Is that a decision?”
Clovis grinned.
“It sure sounds like one.”
Act I — The Matter Arrives Before It Fully Exists
Act II — The Search for Remaining Resistance
The diner filled shortly after the meeting.
By noon, every booth contained someone attempting to determine whether a decision had truly occurred.
This was difficult because no argument had preceded it.
Mister Wade Langston stirred coffee.
“I don’t trust decisions that arrive quietly.”
Across from him, Chester Ray Blevins nodded.
“Most town decisions sound like a tractor falling downstairs.”
“Exactly.”
Nearby, Coach Freddie Stubblefield listened while finishing pie.
“Decision seemed straightforward to me.”
“That’s what worries us,” Wade replied.
Coach Freddie looked confused.
“You worried because it was easy?”
“That’s right.”
“Seems backward.”
“It probably is.”
At another table, Clovis documented reactions.
Mabel watched him write.
“What are you writing now?”
“‘Citizens suspicious of efficiency.'”
“Fair observation.”
Act II — The Search for Remaining Resistance
Across the room, Sonny joined RT.
“You think it’ll happen?”
RT nodded.
“Boot already left.”
“So?”
RT pointed out the window.
Boot’s truck drove past carrying lumber, stakes, paint, and something that appeared unrelated but useful.
Sonny laughed.
“Decision must’ve been real.”
Meanwhile, Daisy the hound crossed the diner parking lot.
She selected a direction.
Then continued moving.
No consultation occurred.
No vote was taken.
No focus group assembled.
The dog simply advanced.
Clovis watched from the window.
“There she goes again.”
Mabel sighed.
“Still studying the dog?”
“She’s becoming relevant.”
Pastor Peeler entered carrying lunch.
He sat beside them.
“Everybody still discussing the pathway?”
“Yes.”
“Any objections emerging?”
“Not really.”
Pastor smiled.
“Then that’s settled.”
Clovis looked surprised.
“You don’t think consensus matters?”
“I think goodwill matters.”
“And agreement?”
“Agreement is nice.”
“And unanimity?”
Pastor laughed.
“Unanimity is mostly decorative.”
Several nearby diners overheard this.
The statement spread through the room.
Like many truths in Sequatchie Crossing, it sounded suspicious at first because it was practical.
Act II — The Search for Remaining Resistance
Act III — Immediate Implementation
Boot arrived at the pathway before lunch ended.
He placed stakes.
Measured distances.
Marked drainage routes.
Then measured everything again because experience had taught him measurements become more accurate after coffee.
Officer Kenny Joe Teeter pulled up.
“Already started?”
Boot looked up.
“Meeting ended an hour ago.”
Kenny nodded.
“Fair.”
Soon Sheriff Peeler arrived.
Then Sonny.
Then RT.
Then Brett and Alyssa Crenshaw.
The pathway connected Town Hall, the diner, the church, and eventually curved toward the sheriff’s office.
For years it had functioned as a seasonal swamp.
Act III — Immediate Implementation
Boot studied the ground.
“We need drainage first.”
Sheriff Peeler nodded.
“Do it.”
No committee formed.
No consultant appeared.
No subcommittee evaluated drainage philosophy.
Alyssa pointed.
“What if somebody changes their mind?”
Boot kept working.
“They’re welcome to.”
“And if they object?”
“Then they’ll object while standing on a finished path.”
RT nearly spit out his drink laughing.
By mid-afternoon, equipment appeared.
By late afternoon, trenches existed.
By evening, visible progress had become impossible to deny.
This caused mild discomfort among several residents.
Not because they opposed the project.
Because they had expected more discussion.
Clovis documented this phenomenon carefully.
At sunset, he found Mabel watching the work.
“Notice anything?” he asked.
“What?”
“Resistance keeps arriving after progress.”
Mabel considered that.
You mean people only start worrying once something actually happens?
“Exactly.”
She nodded.
“That’s very town.”
Nearby, Daisy walked confidently down the half-finished route.
She neither slipped nor hesitated.
Boot watched.
“Dog approves.”
Sheriff Peeler smiled.
“Good enough for me.”
Act III — Immediate Implementation
Act IV — The Committee That Failed to Materialize
The next morning, Lurleen and Evelyn visited Town Hall.
They carried an idea.
This was usually dangerous.
Shelley greeted them.
“What brings y’all in?”
“We were discussing the pathway.”
Shelley braced herself.
“Yes?”
“We thought maybe there should’ve been a review committee.”
Shelley sighed.
“Ah.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Just for oversight.”
“Of what?”
“The project.”
Shelley glanced outside.
Boot was already halfway finished.
The committee would be arriving roughly one day after the work.
“That’s awkward,” Shelley said.
“A little.”
Lurleen watched workers moving gravel.
Act IV — The Committee That Failed to Materialize
Then she frowned.
“Actually…”
“What?”
“It looks pretty good.”
Evelyn studied it.
“It does.”
The committee idea weakened.
Then weakened further.
Finally it disappeared entirely.
Pastor Peeler happened to be walking by.
“Morning.”
“Morning, Pastor.”
He looked toward the pathway.
“Coming along nicely.”
Lurleen nodded.
“Sure is.”
Pastor smiled.
“Funny thing about progress.”
“What?”
Once you can see it, most people stop asking for permission.
Nobody argued.
Because unfortunately that sounded true.
Act IV — The Committee That Failed to Materialize
Act V — The Church Porch Debate
That evening, a gathering formed on the church porch.
The church porch functioned as an unofficial appeals court for matters that no longer required appeals.
Maggie Sue handed out lemonade.
Coach Freddie occupied a rocking chair.
Dr. Neil Cowgill arrived carrying a medical bag despite no obvious injuries.
“You expecting patients?” asked Coach Freddie.
“No.”
“Then why the bag?”
“I’ve carried it so long it feels strange not to.”
Fair enough.
Conversation drifted toward the pathway.
Trixie crossed her arms.
“I still think stone would’ve looked prettier.”
Tiffany nodded.
Act V — The Church Porch Debate
“Maybe.”
“But pavement is practical.”
“Very.”
Maggie Sue smiled.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The whole town’s position.”
Dr. Cowgill looked thoughtful.
“We’re experiencing something medically unusual.”
Everyone stared.
“What?”
“A condition where nobody receives exactly what they wanted.”
Coach Freddie laughed.
“That’s called adulthood.”
The porch erupted in laughter.
Across the road, Boot continued working beneath portable lights.
The sight itself became persuasive.
Visible effort often accomplished what debate could not.
Pastor Peeler arrived shortly afterward.
He sat quietly.
Then finally spoke.
“You know why this worked?”
“Why?” asked Trixie.
“Because nobody treated disagreement like an emergency.”
The porch grew still.
Pastor continued.
“People disagreed.”
“They spoke.”
“They were heard.”
“Then they moved forward.”
Maggie Sue nodded.
“Seems simple.”
“It is.”
“Then why’s it rare?”
Pastor smiled.
“Because simple things are harder than complicated ones.”
Act V — The Church Porch Debate
Act VI — Folklore of Previous Delays
The pathway neared completion.
Which naturally inspired stories.
By Friday morning, residents gathered at the diner comparing historical delays.
Chester Ray started.
“Remember the mailbox relocation discussion?”
Everyone groaned.
“It lasted fourteen months.”
Wade nodded.
“And the welcome sign committee?”
“Eighteen months.”
“The gazebo review?”
“Two years.”
Clovis wrote furiously.
Mabel read over his shoulder.
“What are you calling this section?”
“‘Folklore of Delay.'”
“Appropriate.”
Act VI — Folklore of Previous Delays
Sheriff Peeler joined them.
“Y’all know why this project succeeded?”
“Why?”
“Nobody accidentally created a committee.”
Several people laughed.
Several others looked uncomfortable because they had nearly done exactly that.
Nearby, Daisy marched across the completed section of pathway.
Straight line.
Purposeful pace.
No hesitation.
Wade pointed.
“That dog understands momentum.”
Clovis nodded.
“More than most citizens.”
Act VI — Folklore of Previous Delays
Act VII — Inspection Day
Saturday morning brought inspection.
Not official inspection.
Community inspection.
Which was more intimidating.
Residents wandered the path.
Examined drainage.
Checked edges.
Discussed texture.
Offered opinions nobody had requested.
Boot tolerated this patiently.
Alyssa Crenshaw stepped carefully across the surface.
“Feels solid.”
Brett nodded.
Act VII — Inspection Day
“Looks good.”
Shelley reviewed drainage.
“No flooding there.”
“Nope.”
Sheriff Peeler examined transitions near the sheriff’s office.
“Good work.”
Officer Kenny Joe Teeter agreed.
Meanwhile, Lurleen found a minor imperfection.
She pointed dramatically.
“What’s this?”
Everyone gathered.
Boot looked.
“Rock.”
The crowd paused.
“Just a rock?”
“Just a rock.”
Lurleen stared.
Then laughed.
“I was hoping for something more significant.”
The crowd dispersed.
“What now?” asked Mabel.
“‘Inspection discovers geology.'”
She nearly choked laughing.
Act VII — Inspection Day
Act VIII — Acceptance Without Enthusiasm
That afternoon, Town Hall hosted a brief gathering.
Not a celebration.
Celebrations implied emotional investment.
This was closer to collective acknowledgment.
Shelley addressed the crowd.
“The pathway is complete.”
Polite applause followed.
Nobody cheered.
Nobody objected.
The reaction perfectly matched the project.
Successful.
Practical.
Unremarkably effective.
Trixie approached the microphone.
“I still prefer stone.”
Laughter erupted.
Then Tiffany stepped up.
Act VIII — Acceptance Without Enthusiasm
“I still don’t.”
More laughter.
Pastor Peeler smiled.
“That’s healthy.”
“What is?”
“Continuing to disagree after progress.”
The room quieted.
Pastor continued.
“Agreement wasn’t the goal.”
“What was?” asked Sonny.
“The pathway.”
Everyone looked outside.
There it was.
Functional.
Finished.
Real.
Hard to argue with.
Act VIII — Acceptance Without Enthusiasm
Act IX — The Path Gets Used
Within days, discussion ended.
Usage began.
Children crossed it.
Visitors used it.
Church members appreciated it.
Town Hall employees stopped tracking mud indoors.
The diner benefited.
The sheriff’s office benefited.
Nobody held further meetings.
This deeply disappointed the people who enjoyed meetings.
One afternoon, Clovis sat on the Town Hall porch watching activity.
Mabel joined him.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
“You were studying resistance.”
“Oh.”
He glanced toward the pathway.
Act IX — The Path Gets Used
People moved back and forth steadily.
No controversy remained.
“No resistance,” he said.
“None?”
“Enough disagreement to matter.”
“But not enough to stop anything.”
Mabel nodded.
“Sounds healthy.”
Boot appeared carrying tools.
Again.
Clovis laughed.
“What now?”
“Bench.”
“What bench?”
“People keep standing.”
Mabel stared.
“You already decided?”
Boot nodded.
“Seems obvious.”
Clovis looked toward the pathway.
Then toward the church.
Then toward the diner.
Then toward Daisy, who was confidently walking exactly where she intended to go.
The old observer smiled.
“There goes progress again.”
Act IX — The Path Gets Used
Epilogue — The Official Legend
Months later, visitors occasionally asked how the pathway project happened so quickly.
No one provided the same answer.
Boot claimed people simply decided.
Pastor Peeler claimed people trusted one another.
Sheriff Peeler claimed nobody complicated things.
Mabel claimed everyone behaved sensibly for approximately forty-eight consecutive hours.
Clovis maintained detailed notes.
His final entry read:
“A decision was made before complete agreement existed. Preferences remained. Objections faded. Work began. Results appeared. Nobody got everything they wanted. Everybody got the pathway.”
Nearby, Daisy the hound crossed the path once more.
She did not stop to survey opinions.
She did not organize stakeholders.
She did not seek consensus.
She selected a direction.
Then moved forward.
As far as Sequatchie Crossing folklore was concerned, that made her one of the town’s leading experts on progress.
Epilogue — The Official Legend
Disclaimer
Sequatchie Crossing is a work of fiction. All characters, businesses, organizations, events, and incidents depicted in this story are fictionalized for storytelling purposes. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or deceased, or to real events is purely coincidental.
This story uses satire, humor, and fictional small-town observations to explore themes of decision-making, community dynamics, bureaucracy, and human behavior. The town of Sequatchie Crossing and its recurring characters exist within an ongoing fictional narrative universe.
Disclaimer – Decision Made Without Delay or Full Agreement
Real Places Behind the Ruckus – From The Dunlap Directory
Real Places Behind the Ruckus – From The Dunlap Directory
Yes, this story was fictional; even the parts that weren’t true. These places? Absolutely real. Stop by, support local, and keep the Wi-Fi away from livestock:
- Tennessee Natural Stone
- Rigsby Farm Equipment
- H&M Armory
- Dunlap Iron & Metals
- Bledsoe Telephone Co-Op
- Deakins Underground
- EarthWorx Landscaping & Construction
- Boardtree Falls
- Sequatchie County Fair
- Waterfall Car Wash
- Emily Higdon Photography
- BTC Fiber
- Chris Albright
- Highway 28 Church of God
- Dollar Tree Store #5152
- Flour & Bloom
- Truth Church
- Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative
- Bleep Net
- PureGuard Pest Control
Real Places Behind the Ruckus – From The Dunlap Directory
At Sequatchie Crossing, we tell the stories of Sequatchie Crossing.
Please share this post with your friends, family, or business associates who may want follow the news from Sequatchie Crossing.
0 Comments