I was in the 4th grade. I was back in the Principal’s Office at school. This time they were summoning my mother who was also in the building as an Assistant Librarian. I was fighting again was all they told her. Lucky for me, I had time to get my story together. That was until I was preempted by Assistant Principal Joseph as my mother arrived at her office. I could hear them talking just outside her office as the door was left slightly ajar. Assistant Principal Joseph to my mother, “…I’ll tell you this Shirley. That boy is either going to be a successful attorney or criminal because he sure can Tell a Story…”
“…Transformation is overcoming the spiritual sickness of our cast of characters, and their voices, occurring to us as some kinda damn character defects…”
Hunter
Not what you’d call a ringing endorsement of the legal profession. Assistant Principal Joseph did however recognize my gift for crafting compelling narratives. In common parlance, lying. I was reminded of this experience during a recent conversation with Lucy, my recovery partner in crime. I said, badasses are the people In These Rooms that find the person they are meant to be lies in recognizing their inner characters and the gift of their faults. She looked at me like I just said the dumbest damn thing she ever heard. Any who.
Talking with my barber recently, he expressed dismay his stepson seems on track to become a pathological liar. “…That boy lies all the time…” he said. My response was he needed to put an end to that shit right now. Not by beating it out of him, as he seemed predisposed to wanna do, but by redirecting the boy’s talent and energy. As they say, “…game recognizes game…” I said you need to creatively redirect him something like this. The next time he tells you one of them tall damn tales of his, tell him, “…boy I’m gonna have to get you in some creative writing classes. Because with them whoppers you be telling, your ass belongs in Hollywood cause you show can Tell Stories…”
“…The redemptive power of the cross is the love of and trust in a God that empowers us to embrace and even celebrate the gift of our faults and the songs of our souls…”
The Professor
Read more about Hunter, Lucy and the Professor and tell your story. Listen to Hunter’s Podcast. All on wreckedamerica.com. In Wrecked America, #StoriesMatters
The Struggle Continues…
