Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive. – Josephine Hart
Before I forget again.
Spent most of my life pretending not to be crazy. What a waste of time that was. Apparently must be mentioned – be completely insane not to – didn’t always fool everybody. There’s been some talk of some talk. Now that it’s too late. Can’t pretend anymore.
There’s an old Mexican proverb: A person born to be a flowerpot will not go beyond the porch. And a newer Chicano trope: If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on the porch. He wasn’t Hispanic and he didn’t have a porch.
The transition from The World’s Slowest Professional Runner (copyright) to America’s Most Famous Unknown Writer (ditto) did not go as smoothly as he had hoped.
His parents were old and both were sick. They needed him and he didn’t have anything better to do. Or a place to live. Or a job. Or money. Easy to do the right thing when it’s the easiest thing to do. His father had taught him that. If you’re single – again – and childless – still – when your folks need you, you go.
Looking back, couldn’t help thinking he’d been played. And was that the best thing that ever happened to him?
You are probably wondering about the photo. Remember walking across a lawn, thick and green. Me and the lawn both. Remember thinking, anybody who knows me, if they see me, won’t recognize me. I was wearing baggy pleated khaki chinos. bright white long-sleeved shirt and a red, white and blue, stars & stripes tie. Flag pin.
President of the local Kiwanis club, the county’s largest civic organization and notorious charity animals. I was their leader. It’s true.
What reincarnation’s all about.
You are probably wondering about the photo. My team of chocolate brown roach sniffers refused to go to work if I insisted on wearing my Nike pajamas all day long..
Before all was said and done, I stopped running, gained close to fifty pounds and knew for certain Florida is not fit for human habitation.