Everyone has different life experiences.
That is so important to remember now that our world is so much smaller and well connected by technology.
I know that bullying is a serious problem in our country.
I feel sorry for any young person that has to deal with being harassed in any way.
People tell me that its worse now with cyber bullying because its constantly on and never ends even when a kid gets off the school bus and goes inside the house.
I never felt like I was bullied.
However... I was picked on by the best!
I had it coming....I was small...mouthy and my dad bought me the glasses David Ruffin from the Temptations
made famous.......
The problem was it was 1983.
These glasses were so old timey that most kids couldn't stop laughing when they saw me
I'm not exaggerating..here's a look.
I asked my dad about these glasses, and here's what he had to say...
My parents always said that I shouldn't get upset and that if people don't like you the way you are then it's there problem and not yours.
It was so bad when I stepped on the bus, the prettiest, tallest, finest high school girl remarked LOUDLY "Boy you better have a big ol' boner or a lot of money or your little ass is gonna be woman less your entire life with those glasses".
Well I still don't have any money... but two marriages and three kids later...I digress...
That year the middle school and high school had to share a bus route.
The high school kids were not happy at all with this and made the middle school kids stand up ALL THE WAY TO SCHOOL and ALL THE WAY HOME.
While the ride wasn't long..standing up on a moving bus sucked.
The guys at the back of the bus were older, much older
They were mean and funny.
I don't even know if they went to school or just rode the bus for the hell of it.
I enjoyed seeing the neighborhood kids who gave me hell getting picked on
by this crowd.
I knew that instant I had to go to Enloe High.
That's when I met one of the naturally coolest and funniest people in my childhood.
Jimmy.
Don't get me wrong...he was as cruel and cold to me and as rude as all the other kids on the bus.
But he was so funny..with HIS high pitched voice and the cool attitude.
Some folks have to try and be cool very few people are just naturally cool.
So Jimmy yells out.."Anybody got a radio at home..a boom box?
Boom boxes were the thing.
Luckily..I was an only child..spoiled as hell...and had a big one...boom box too.
I played it cool...didn't tip my hand..and I stayed up late taping the best mixes on WKNC's hip hop show on the magic 88 featuring future bad ass dj's wax master torrey...wink moody and so many more future radio legends.
But the next morning I got on the bus with my tape..and my BOX as the older Enloe kids bid on me like a slave at auction.."Sit here little boy with the glasses..looking like the little professor calculator by Texas instruments......sit here..please sit here."
I not only got a seat, I got a seat in the back with the older tough guys.
Jimmy turned to me and said..."Well played young man".
These were the early days of hip hop...I was able to play the art of noise "Beat Box" and RUN-DMC'S "Sucker MC's". I will never ever forget how that song amazed and mesmerized the guys and girls on the bus.
One of the best three plus minutes of music ever made.
I even played some Debarge "TIME WILL REVEAL'"
I was in. It was my moment to ruin...and it didn't take long for me to do that...because batteries for those boxes cost money.
So the first time I showed up with no radio I was just another smoe.
"YOU AINT BRING THE BOX...STAND YO ASS UP"
Almost 20 Years later I ran into Jimmy who said...."man the neighborhood is proud of you..you're on radio and tv..."
I think I told him how I learned to how to have the courage to crack jokes on people and how cool it was to see him doing well, but I don't recall.
As pessimistic a person as I am, I do remember telling him that he taught me what funny really was in our community live and in person.
And he was still funny, busting on his coworkers in that cool snarky way
I could tell they respected him and that he cared about them and was trying to teach them, grow them to be as sharp a man as he was.
So when I saw a post on a social media site a few months ago about his death I was so sad.
Sad to see the life of a person with so much character and love for others reduced to a few lines in a news story.
I never met his wife or his kids, but I knew from our conversations that he put those he loved above all else and that he had a serious work ethic, and hated a lazy ass person.
So this is my way of remembering Jimmy and saying thank you.
I know people talk about the dash between birth and death date..but this is about more than that.
In this day and age of instant communication, comes the option of instant disrespect.
People need to take the time to think before they post.
RIP Jimmy and thanks.
