Tuesday December 18th, 2012 – Milwaukee, WI
I’m fascinated at how strikingly roles can change with the contacts we make in life. Everybody has people coming in and out of their lives constantly, and the way they come in isn’t always the way they go out. Friends turn into lovers or enemies, and vice versa. And there are no guarantees of how long anyone will stay around. The only thing we can ever count on is constant change.
As the year winds down, I’ve been looking over the people I’ve been in regular contact with in 2012 and it’s significantly different than those I was in regular contact with in 2011. Sure, some of the names are the same but many of the main players have moved on. It’s like a sports team.
I had health struggles with my type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2011, and Jerry Agar and his family were absolutely wonderful in their generosity by allowing me to heal up at their house for several weeks. They couldn’t have been nicer, and it came at a time when I really needed it. I’m grateful.
Then, out of nowhere Jerry got a radio job in Toronto and pretty soon he and his family moved there and we barely speak. There was no falling out, but life just has a way of moving on when it needs to. Jerry has his life and I have mine, and now they happen to be in two different countries.
That doesn’t mean we won’t cross paths again. We’ve been friends since the ‘80s, and we have always drifted in and out of each other’s existence depending on our current location. Right now, it’s not convenient to hang out often. Next year? Who knows? Neither of us has ever been stable.
One friend who has been stable is Dave Hendrickson. I’ve known Dave since my first comedy show in Milwaukee at Sardino’s on Farwell in November of 1983. Dave came into my life in the role of comedy peer, and then exited when I moved out of Milwaukee to begin my road years.
Then we reconnected several years ago, but our roles have changed significantly. I have grown by leaps and bounds as a comedian, and am no longer the aspiring novice when we first met. I’m now the wily veteran I always dreamed of being – even though it came with an enormous price.
Dave pursued a business of doing patent drawings, and has done that for decades. He’s moved on from doing standup comedy, but he still performs frequently with anything from Toastmasters to storytelling and is one of the most creative people I know. I always enjoy working with him.
We’re both left handed, so maybe that’s why we get along so well. He’s also very spiritual and has been a regular part of The Mothership Connection radio show in 2012.
His role has grown to become a large part of the show on air and off, and it’s working splendidly. His title is “The Two Bit Guru”, and his website is www.twobitguru.com. It’s very well done and full of solid content.
Dave’s website person Nate is going to be working on a site for the radio show and also taking over my personal site which needs a major update. I drove to Milwaukee for lunch with Dave to get things in motion, and we got a lot done. We talked about how long we’ve known each other, and how much we have evolved in almost thirty years. The Daves and Jerrys of life make it fun.
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