I'm in Albuquerque this evening and this city always makes me think of a great friend of mine, so decided to write
about another “brother” of mine. When I first met this man I’m ashamed to say I
pre judged him on looks alone and could not have been more wrong. I hope I may
have learned something from that. As I’ve mentioned before, there are a group
of us friends that have played D&D for many, many years now. A few years
ago one of our group brought a new player to play. When I first met Russ he had
a shaved head, earrings, rings, and I’m guessing bare feet. (I say that because
I know him so much better now, that it’s a pretty safe bet) He was loud and
sure of himself. I remember thinking, “Dave, what have you brought into our
group.” As time went by, he became a real part of the group. My initial judgments
proved to be wrong. VERY WRONG. Yes, he
was still loud and sure of himself (and at times VERY opinionated), and he
still looked the same way, but I learned about the man behind all that. We actually became pretty good friends. Then
something happened…
I ask my
friends quite often if they want to go with me on my sales trips. Almost always
the answer is “no.” I totally understand
that. It’s hard to get away even for the teachers in the group, but I still
ask. Well, one time I asked and Russ said he would love to. I was kind of taken
aback. We were friends, but I still didn’t consider him a CLOSE friend. But the
offer was made and accepted so what the heck. To be honest, I don’t remember
where we went, but I think it was Las
Vegas . This turned out to be the first of MANY trips
that Russ would accompany me on. I really got to know the man behind the shaved
head, bare feet, and kilts. (oh, did I fail to mention the kilts?) We have
spent probably hundreds of hours in cars and hotels talking about all things geeky
and not geeky. We make up games. He introduces me to music that I NEVER would
have heard if not for him. (I drive and he picks music from his massive
collection) We stop so he can take pictures of everything from a field of
flowers to an old barn. We debate which one of us is the bigger geek. (I win
that one until his father in law’s name comes up. Oh, his father in law’s name
is Bruce Wayne. How awesome is that? J ) We stop to eat at
places that I would normally drive by. He has taught me to not “pass by” life.
He has taught me to see the beauty in the world around me. He has taught me to
not judge based on looks alone. In fact, one of the things I enjoy the most is
walking into a store about 3 seconds behind him when he’s wearing a kilt. The
looks he gets from locals (especially in small towns) are priceless.
Another
thing that’s interesting about us is how different we are in a lot of ways.
I’ve always been a pretty conservative Republican while he’s a liberal
Democrat. We talk politics and though I often feel wanting in knowledge in that
field, we still have wonderful conversations where we share ideas and opinions
without the fear of any anger or animosity. This has been a real blessing of
sorts during this election season. If I have a question that I want a liberal
view on without the propaganda I can ask. Differing views are just that. There
is never any anger or bitterness between us. I’ll also admit that he’s a lot
more willing to try things (especially foods) than I am. I enjoy trying new
things, but I do have limits, whereas he’ll try most anything. Chocolate with
jalapeños in it or hagas, it doesn’t matter. (though he has vowed to get me to
try hagas)
Another
great thing is how well our families get along. His girls are much older than
my kids, but they really get along almost like family. My kids get excited when
they hear that we’re going to Russ and Tamby’s house or that they’re coming to
our home. I’ve heard the term “brother from another mother” before and it
always made me chuckle, but that really is a great way to describe him.
