The Starter

My wife and I went away for a weekend to a five star resort not far from our house.  We absolutely love this resort.  The people are always very kind and you can rest assured you will have a fantastic time, eat amazing food and enjoy the spectacular scenery as you are nestled in the lap of luxury.

I went for a walk Friday afternoon.  I intentionally headed for the golf course as this resort hosts three championship courses.  I walked to the starter building on the first hole.  The morning had been beautiful and still.  The afternoon was extremely windy as the air was swept down to the resort located at the base of the Rocky Mountains. I stood behind the starter building to block the wind.  As I stood there the starter asked me if I needed anything.  I told him I was just there watching people tee off and enjoying the scenery.  He engaged the golfers checking in to start their round and then came back to talk to me.

Kenneth is a gentlemen in his mid 50's.  His big, beautiful, very white, engaging smile was contrasted against his black skin.  Kenneth managed the park departments for several cities.  Each of the cities ran into financial difficulties and the parks budget was one of the first to get cut.  Kenneth is very active in his church and has served in many leadership and teaching capacities.  His wife battled cancer for several years and Kenneth served her lovingly and tenderly throughout her illness. They were divorced after being married for over 20 years.  Kenneth has two children.  One is studying in college and the other is serving time in prison.  Kenneth was visibly bothered with the turn in the conversation and I could tell the conversation pained him.  "I told him there are two kinds of systems in this world, one you control and the other that controls you.  Unfortunately, he is now with the one that controls him." Never quite thought of it that way before.  Thankfully, never had to think about it before.

As I reflected on all the difficulties and heartaches that Kenneth told me about his life, I was a little reluctant to ask the question, "Kenneth, what is like being you?"  I was surprised and rebuked.

"Every morning I wake up I thank God for another day and wonder what person I am going to have the privilege of serving today", his beautiful smile matched by the brightness in his eyes.  He went on to tell me how the Lord orchestrated each of his career moves and how he clearly sees the hand of the Lord in all of it.  He had always wanted to get back to the city he was now living in and the Lord had made that possible.  He raised his children to be God fearing people and the Lord is still working in their lives.  The lessons he tried to teach his children are still being taught to them today, just by someone else. My soul rejoiced as our conversation continued.

What a pleasure to meet Kenneth.  He obviously has had a difficult life and yet has maintained an excellent Christian testimony.  Kenneth, although his troubles no where near having the troubles of Job, continues to glorify God with his life and praise.

It was a pleasure to spend time with you on Friday, Kenneth.  Thank you for your testimony and friendship.  I sincerely hope our paths cross again. In fact, I know they will.

Michael

The first thing I noticed was his longer grey hair and long, thick, well shaped beard. Looking down from his face I noticed a tan leather vest.  Under the leather vest was a cream colored collarless western shirt with big flowing sleeves trimmed neatly by one inch cuffs at the wrist.  He had a long scarf around his neck and down the front of his vest.  It was barely noticeable against the shirt.  He wore blue jeans, a leather belt and very broken in western work boots.  His black Festus style cowboy hat laid on the floor. He looked like he could have just walked off the set of a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western. I guess he is in his late 50s or early 60s,  


This past Saturday midnight, he finished tuning the side by side pianos (he was recommended by a friend) and came over to where I was sitting.  I stood up, extended my hand,  "Hi, I'm Steve Kubick", I said, introducing myself.  "Hi, I'm Michael Jackson", he answered.   The contrast of his appearance and famous name made me smile.


He thanked me for waiting for him so late at night.  I told Michael that I had just started this blog and informed him of the name.  He looked at me with a lot of interest.  Maybe he was surprised that I would speak to him at all. Then I asked him The Question, "So Michael, what is it like being you?"  He knelt down by the coffee table in front of me, folded his hands and looked to the floor.

"It sucks!", Michael replied. 

"Why does it suck?", I asked, starting a 45 minute long conversation about his life.

His is a rather interesting life. He learned the trade of a piano tuner instead of going to high school and has been tuning pianos ever since.  A few years back he fell ill.  Owning his business, he had health insurance.  But when he wasn't able to work, he could not afford the premiums and lost the insurance.  He was forced to start over financially in his late 50s.  "A person doesn't start over at my age", he stated. I asked about children.  He told me about his three sons and his only grand baby. All without too much emotion. 


He brought up religion and proceeded to describe his pantheistic beliefs.  He told me that Jesus would not be happy with what churches were doing.  To his surprise, I agreed.  I was sitting in a church.  I would have normally continued down that line of conversation, but it was late and I wanted to get home so I diverted the conversation to something less taxing.


"I really like your western clothes", I said, myself wearing a light turquoise, short sleeved Cinch  shirt, Wrangler boot jeans, black leather belt and black ostrich cowboy boots.  His countenance changed with the compliment.  "Why do you dress so completely western?", I inquired, "It looks great, don't get me wrong, I am just curious why you dress like that".  


"I like it", Michael answered.  


"Why do you like it?", I pressed.  


"I don't know", he admitted.


"Did you see it in a western movie as a kid and always wanted to dress like it?".  


"I don't know", he repeated, "I guess I like it better than modern clothes."


"Fair enough", I offered, more than just a little jealous that he had the gumption to dress like HE wanted. 


Over the course of the hour, I grew to appreciate Michael, his different views and his willingness to discuss them. It was now very late and he needed to get up early and be at work by 8:00 am. 


We parted ways with a hearty handshake suitable for our clothing, big smiles and the joy of knowing we would see each other again. 

What is it like being YOU?

I have traveled around the world. I have carried on meaningful conversations with thousands of people in airplanes, taxi cabs, grocery stores, markets, restaurants, business offices and on the street. I am curious about the people I see and meet. What is it like being a taxi driver, a railroad engineer, or a garbage man? What do they think about on their way home after a long day of work? How do they view the state of their country? What do they think about my country?


I love asking The Question "What is it like being you?".

What I have found in my "life on life" discussions is that we are all very much alike even when appearances indicate the contrary. Whether it be my long bearded, very professionally dressed and extremely polite Muslim car drivers in London, or the Christian pastor of a small assembly in the same city, there is much in common with our life experiences. 

This blog is about understanding YOU. I would like the world to see the commonness of humanity. The commonness of our life experiences.  I believe prejudice is eliminated through this understanding. 

I encourage you to not only read this blog, but also to participate. The more that people participate, the greater will be our understanding of each other. 

I am looking forward to getting to know you.