Old Friend, Old School

The Tao of Thinking

Riding out my driveway yesterday morning I came upon my old friend Kyle slouched on his Old School bike working his iPhone. At first, I thought he was just another surfer hooking-up to my free hot-spot. Continuing on my way, I suddenly heard my name echo in my helmet. I screeched to a halt and went back.

Forty years ago Kyle was indirectly responsible for changing the way I thought forever. I was starting college in the Fall. Kyle was finishing college. We worked nights at a JC Penny’s warehouse and that’s where he cajoled me into signing-up for my first course in Political Theory taught by a Master Teacher named Ross Lence – a course in which you are guaranteed to receive an F on your first paper. Who could resist that?

It’s said, only emotional shock can convince a person to change the way they think. I didn’t get an F on my first paper – Kyle was wrong. But that C+ was the lowest grade I’d ever made on a paper and low enough to make me change my thinking. I’ll never forget that first semester of college and I’ll always be grateful to Kyle for steering me toward a Master Teacher right from the start.

There’s nothing like a surprise visit on a misty morning from an old friend.

Kyle’s ’09 Triumph Thruxton on Harvard Street, July 30th 2016