TheBanyanTree: Cool, Mister; Can You Do I t Again

[Barbara Edlen]

This had me grinning, Chris. I can just picture the awestruck looks on the boys' faces each time.

Fabulous story!

I'll be smiling all day thinking about it.

Barb



________________________________
 From: A. Christopher Hammon <chris at oates.org>
To: thebanyantree at lists.remsset.com 
Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2012 10:55 AM
Subject: TheBanyanTree: Cool, Mister; Can You Do I t Again
 
I am always amazed at what thrills kids, particularly young boys. I know that I shouldn't be surprised, especially not in light of the stories that circulate around my childhood.

One moment that I comes to mind happened years ago; back when I was a young sailor in southern California, racing my bicycle, and not yet smart enough to wear a helmet and gloves. I was practicing sprints with a friend in a parking lot next to a school. We would dash the length of the parking lot, make the turn, and sprint back the other way. The secondary game was how much speed could we carry through the turn around.

On one of the sprints we came flying down the length of the parking lot and you could see the images in our minds of snatching the victory of a stage in the Tour de France. Then it happened. As I leaned into the turn, I caught a patch of loose gravel that we had not noticed. Down I went, but not into a simple road rash slide. I bounced and then rolled several times before slamming to the school yard fence. It was a dramatic crash and the kids all came running. One voice stood out above all the others, but they all held the same sentiment. That was cool, Mister. Can you do it again?"

They gathered along the fence in hopes of having a better seat for the encore. I picked myself up and hobbled off in search of emergency first aid.

It is allergy season in Louisville. Actually, we are having a second allergy season this year and I understand that it is as bad as the first. I missed the first this year recuperating from a second round of abdominal surgery and chemo, but I am back out on my bike experiencing the second.

I was out riding along the river this morning and then climbing the hills up through Locust Grove. I was taking my 25-mile route to my neighborhood coffeeshop. Somewhere through that stretch I inhaled something my allergies did not like. Suddenly my sinuses were full and I was sneezing like crazy.  Once I quit sneezing, it was time to address the other issue. Since I was cruising along at 20 mph and there was a break in the traffic, it seemed like a perfectly good place to practice one of bicycling's finer techniques; the fine art of blowing one's pipes and clearing one's sinuses while underway. And so I touched a finger to one side of my nose and blew. It was grand; oh yes, I can blow snot rockets with the best of the pros. Suddenly, to my surprise, I heard this cheer, "Hey cool, Mister! Can you do it again?"

I failed to notice that I was passing in front of a church where a couple of teachers were trying to coral a class of young boys. The boys cheered, the teachers scowled, and I rode on smiling because I could breathe again and it was a beautiful morning to be on the bike. And I am glad to be doing that again.

Cheers,
Chris

/_________________________________________
A. Christopher Hammon, D.Min.
Executive Director //
Wayne Oates Institute
A Learning Community for Spiritual Caregivers
http://www.oates.org/

/Affiliate Faculty, Doctor of Ministry Program
Drew University Theological School/