Just what is it that everyone has……… it might be slanted……… it might be exaggerated……..it might be subject to change………….. it might even be disputed, but non the less we ALL have one. It could be a body part………. but NO it is not……… it’s a STORY, a life story. How many people get to a stage in their life when they get the idea that they are, “burned out”, (Whatever that means, it seems to mean different things to different people) not reaching their “hoped for” goals, or think that time is passing them by and they have to change something before it’s too late? Maybe they change careers, or they change mates (now there’s one that seems popular) maybe they change where they live, or even how they live (as in off the grid) and yet some people are content to start their working life at one place with no thought of ever leaving there. Some, or all of these things contribute to what becomes ones……… “STORY!” I’m sure that you have met someone that has surprised you with their “story” wether they be stories of overcoming great hurdles or events that changed the direction of their lives. I’ll admit that as you get older you are less surprised by the story lines. The predictable ones…….. oh……the predictable ones…….. that go through the education system, to whatever level they choose, pick a career, assimilate into the associated society (each career has a society associated with it that is only understood by the people in that career) advance as they can, reap the rewards of their efforts, and be very happy with the life styles and the predictability of it be it a huge success or……….“BORING”……….. ! Their story is rife with all of the things that are normal, like kids, birthdays, trips, school, vacations, and such on a very planned out schedule that lends itself to “long range” planning and adherence to the steps necessary to “make this work”. I think this kind of story is the type that is described in “Fairy Tales” as “living happily ever after”. For a lot of people it probably is. I can see a comfort level there that is the goal of a lot of people.

On the other end of the scale is the loose cannon. You can never guess where he or she is going to be because they never know where they are going to be from one day to the next. Now THIS style is really hard for one of the planners to tolerate. The loose cannon on the other hand has no problem just smiling at the planner and being on his way. With these two extremes in mind, I think the vast majority of people fall somewhere in between. Depending on how you think our lives should be lived and what guides you (family, religion, community, fear) your choices are shaped but not chosen. A lot of these loose cannons are not only very successful, they also enjoy the tremendous excitement of seeing one or more of their endeavors become a success. Sometimes this will bring with it some measure of wealth. Sometimes it brings just another chapter in their story, but the “story” that a person gains by trying, and the people you meet and work with means more than the money. The quest to make an idea work has incredible emotional rewards, and some painful disappointments when you must admit that your plan just will not work. One of my dearest friends,( a man I met in developing a product), helped me get started on an ill fated venture. He has become like a family member. That certainly turned out to be a financial bust, but even in a total train wreck there will be some tremendous highs.

Those that don’t try to make a dream their reality will never know the thrill of the possible outcome. People go to casinos for the shot at a winner, but believe me a jackpot can’t compare to a venture that turns out to be everything that you had hoped for. Win or lose you give it your all and it becomes part of your story. I used to drive into L.A. every week to pick up product for a food service company. That meant that I spent a lot of time in areas filled not only with warehouses, but also a lot of homeless people. Now THERE were SOME REALLY interesting stories on those streets if a guy took the time to listen to these people as real PEOPLE not just undesirables to be avoided. Even the ones that were there because they wanted the lifestyle of the streets had stories. Although the main theme was a sad one it also spoke of peoples strengths and weaknesses. Some that were there had strong religious and moral convictions. One such man I remember was a regular at a cold storage facility. He was a large strong man with a quick smile. His name was Bobby. I never knew his last name. He was in his late 40’s and had worked the docks for over 20 years. He was proud of the reputation he had built for himself and that he and his wife had raised half a dozen kids (all responsible and educated) all on what he earned on the docks. His wife worked too I just don’t remember at what, if he ever did tell me. I don’t know if he had even finished high school but he was a proud man that would have no truck with anyone associated with the drugs. He would talk of the street people as individuals not as a group. The largest percent of the street people were black, but not all. Of course drugs were very prevalent on the streets and a very big demon that most of the people there fought with. Bobby wasn’t too concerned about the future. He was comfortable getting by. I often thought of Bobby and wondered what path he might have taken and where he could be, how many decisions put him there? I do know that I didn’t get the whole story, but he had really hacked out a path for his family in a very dangerous jungle. A jungle is a good way to describe those streets.

One of the regulars there was a white woman that walked the streets in a long coat that used to be white though it had not been that color for a very long time. On first seeing her one could not say whether he was looking at a young disheveled man or a young woman that had fallen into deep disrepair. She would walk unsteadily down the street in a stupor (I suspect it was drug induced) sometimes picking little white stones up from the sidewalk and putting them in her nose. Some would laugh and say that she thought they were crack. Most would pay her NO attention though. I would kid one cold storage dock foreman of her being his secret girl friend. He knew her name……. and……. some of her story. “She comes from a fairly well to do family that does care about her. Some of her family will come to the streets and take her back home.” (I’m not sure where that was). They would get her cleaned up and try to keep her on track but after some time she would run away again. She would either hitchhike or take a bus back to the streets. She would trade sexual favors for drugs of some sort. As far as food goes the homeless can get free food at various spots around the central city (I believe there is more than one). One week while I was picking up some product at the cold storage I was asking the dock foreman how his girlfriend was. I hadn’t seen her yet that week. “She is dead”, he told me, “she was trading favors with a couple of men and instead of paying her they beat her to death with a rock. Somebody knows who did it but no one will say.” Of course the police were involved. They knew a lot more about her than I did but they would just drive by and leave her alone. The foreman said what could anyone do? Everyone knew her story would end in tragedy. Like watching a train wreck that was going to happen with no way to stop it. Who knows, maybe it was a willful tradeoff. What part of her story got her to where I first saw her I’ll never know. I did see her there for at least a couple of years. When I learned of her death I wondered how that phone call to her family was received. However it was received, “that news” became not just the end of her story, but also the end of a sad chapter for her family members stories. After all these years I sometimes still think of her sad life. I had six young kids at the time and the thought of them and drugs, even in Roundup MT. How can a parent be sure? Fortunately our kids were strong enough to resist their influence. Although my kids were all busy writing their own story, none of them included drugs. Thank you Lord!!

I am certainly not suggesting that the two extremes are the only choices. Far from it! The point is people make choices along the way that can drastically alter the course of their lives. Some are just hiccups incurred trying to find the direction one wants to go. No matter what, they must keep swinging, it is what drives them. Some very successful people have many setbacks before finding the right combination. Why is it called Hines 57 sauce? I wonder if that story is true. Then there are some that turn everything over to religion. “I will just stay between the lines for 80 years and God will take care of the decisions.” My thoughts are that we are all children of a loving God sent here to accomplish something with the natural gifts that we have been given. Striving to do as much as we can for ourselves, our family and our community is a nobel pursuit. Is that our mission? At some point and in varying degrees temptation is going to raise its head. Temptation (giving into doing things that you know are wrong) is wrapped in a package that is hard to resist. However that is handled, it will become part of your story (even if nobody ever gets to hear it). I think that everyone has thoughts, or feelings, that NEVER see the light of day……….. that probably is a good thing.

Churches, different as they are, give a lot of people direction, support, and even a kind of “family” without all the dynamics of a “natural” family. A place to turn when times get tough. I also believe that churches can be very self serving. An attitude of “you are going to follow these rules or else prevails!!” Or else what? Or else we are going to do to you what we preach against. Go figure! Human nature being what it is I think you find every kind of influence in every group be it political, religious, military, or you name it. The two influences are good and evil. New story right? That everyone fights to varying degrees of success or failure are the determining elements of their story.

The long and the short of it is that EVERYONE has a STORY. If you really want to get to know someone…….. listen to their story. My brother was friends with a Viet Nam vet that is a purple heart recipient. In all the years he knew him he never knew that detail about him. It might even help them to tell it, or you to hear it. Fight for the good and resist the temptress.

Dave of the woods