T R U T H

Here's one from 2006

Johnny can you hear me? Here's Johnny.. Kind of wide at the shoulders and narrow at the hips, Big Bad John. THERE IS NO JOHN! The assignment is to describe someone you admire exhaustively and explain why. My cousin studied under Bertrand Russell, for crissakes. Everybody uses their parents as Most Admired. I'm hopelessly in love with my idol and tomorrow I'll be holding on to the person who bombarded me with greatness in my most formative years, so where do I go with this assignment? To Johnny, a fricken composite of brilliance, insight, charisma and undeserved reverence. Maybe that exemplifies my shortcomings better than any empty whiskey bottle or incomplete deliverable during my lifetime. So let me tell you about Johnny. When everyone was watching Davy Crockett on TV, he watched Navy Log. When everybody was boppin' to Dion and the Belmonts and the Diamonds, he played Thelonious Monk and Sinatra records while swilling cough syrup 'cause his father put a lock on the liquor cabinet. When every guy was fixing up old cars after getting their driver's license, he convinced his Dad to buy a dual quad 409 with a 456 rear if he came up with the cash to pay for the hi-speed options. When every guy was on the list to be drafted, he got into a reserve unit and missed out on the debacle in Southeast Asia. He knew the two senators from every state but almost got recycled for not being able to complete the mile run in under 9 minutes. When everybody was embellishing the vaporware qualities of CAD software, he modeled complex interactive systems and saved an executive's ass by collaborating as a partner for token dollars. When he was asked to take a nude picture of a friend in an embrace with the guy's wife, he made a mirrored shadow box made from the negatives clustered in a daisy pattern sandwiched between sheets of glass that was blue ribbon quality. When he came from Berkeley to teach evening classes on business management, he left an indelible message that business is ALL about the people doing it. And when it came time to leave it all behind, Johnny sat next me all the way across the country on my way to begin life as a free man in the arms of my desert flower who lifted me into serenity where Johnny is required no more. Maybe many others have communed at the altar of final destination and they understand that it never would have happened if it were not for Johnny. But if not, don't keep guessing. Mom and Dad make everything possible (Dad's swimmers and Mom's nurturing) but getting there is possible mostly from that virtually endless list of contributors who comprise the Johnny genome. All hail the power. Wake me when this is over. Amen