Robert

Some of the basics. I am C-6/7 quadriplegic from breaking my neck in a car accident in 79, I am happy go lucky to a fault, I wear my heart on my sleeve, my nature is expressive, I am devoted and loyal, I find humor in all things human save for the tragic, I am a good man, I feel deeply, often more for others above myself, I can’t dress myself without help and can’t help but try, I think I am the golden retrievers of men. I would like to be knee deep in a stream fishing. Until recently, I never fully appreciated the importance of being thought of highly by someone very special to me. This comes from a man who understands more than most how important it is to never take anything for granted. Genuine friendships are hard earned, I took one for granted and it cost me dearly. On to the Readers Digest style version of my life.
It is not difficult to be humble when describing my life. I played baseball from sun up to sundown in a time when rounding up the required 18-20 friends was a snap. My dream was to play left field for the Boston Red Sox, my skills along with an unexpected pregnancy (not me, my wife) found me playing left field for various adult and beer league squads while working at a lumber mill. I listened to Foghat as a pre game ritual and never shook the opposing teams hands afterward. I loved to fish. The high Sierras, northern Maine, anywhere and everywhere. My father worked in the aerospace industry as a civilian for nearly 45 years on everything from the SR-71 project to the Hubble Telescope to J-Stars and I was fortunate enough to experience some of each up close and personal. I love politics but loathe politicians. Most are gutless hypocrites who pander to the fears of mindless twits otherwise known as the extreme wings of both major parties while wearing flags on their lapels with pockets full of deferments and mistresses at their beckon call. I am spiritual to the core but I believe organized religion is the ultimate abuse of faith. Falwell? Swaggart?? The Vicar of Christ??? Gimme a break! I am Catholic by choice (my parents) and take comfort from many of the traditions. I even enjoy the wafers and confessional. Mine are a bore but I keep hoping for the priest to open up and lighten his burdens. I used to gamble too much, now I have it about right. I believe that duty honor and country is altogether appropriate for fighting wars when the cause is just but duty and honor is not nearly enough where marriage is concerned. I tried the latter with good intentions but failed. That said, I haven’t given up on true love, when that bolt hits you know you have been struck, only then can we truly feel alive. I learned the value of respect from a Grandfather born in Sicily and processed at Ellis Island who barely spoke English but loved this country as his own. I am a/an insomniac with sleep apnea. That’s right, I seldom sleep and stop breathing when I do. I survived a broken neck. I am resistant to most antibiotics. I have maladies that are somewhat rare. If karma is real I must have really been a terror in my prior life. That likely explains why the pleasant and respectful expression “Namaste” scares the hell out of me. I am functionally illiterate. I knew many of the answers while in class but cared little for the questions. I am serious and a serious knucklehead. I want to be in love the day I die because that will assure me of dying alive and possibly getting a good nights rest in my next go round. In summary, God didn’t want me to play ball because I am a poor sport in that regard, he wanted me to see expensive gadgets up close, experience the beauty of a mountain stream, determine which is most powerful, then give thanks. That, or he wanted me to have a small sip of glory before sending off to the mill and kicking my ass. Who really knows, we're talking God here, the man deals in the miraculous and has all that wisdom with a great sense of humor to boot. So I worship from the soul, it’s the one place I know is true.