What's Really Important

Wednesday July 29th, 2009 - Lake Villa, IL

My tiny little batch of inconveniences in life really don’t add up to much compared to the real problems some people have. I received a call today from Dr. Destruction, one of my co-hosts on The Mothership Connection radio show in Kenosha on AM 1050 WLIP.

Today is his birthday but he’s not one for birthdays and holidays. I’ve grown to be good friends with him because although he looks like one of my father’s motorcycle gang thugs the guy has a heart of gold and is a very kind soul. I don’t know why we crossed paths but I’m glad we did. He adds to the radio show and is a character in his own right. I’m a fan.

The Doc was really down today because of a shooting in Kenosha last Sunday that I had heard about but it didn’t really hit home. I guess I’ve been jaded by living in cities for the better part of my life and it just gets to be numbers after a while. I feel bad but it’s true.

Apparently two total scumbags were trying to rob an ice cream stand and they shot two of the employees, one of them the 18 year old son of a friend of The Doc’s. He was really down and I felt bad for him but as a friend I wanted to let him talk about it. He said it was hard for him to talk about it and he was broken up about it since it happened. I see why.

I used to work at a frozen custard stand called Town Pride in Milwaukee when I was in high school. It’s gone now but back then it was a hopping joint in the summer. One night I was working late and after closing some punks came up to the window and one of them pointed a gun at me for just a couple of seconds and then started laughing like a hyena.

He didn’t rob me and it was only a couple of seconds but I felt a terror I’d never felt and thankfully I haven’t since. Every time I hear a gun story I can only imagine what the ones shot at actually feel before anyone pulls the trigger. I really feel for the families of the two victims, even though one of the people lived. He’s 43 but his life will never be the same.

The 18 year old kid was by all accounts a good kid who didn’t do drugs and worked at a job to earn some honest money. Why do these people have to keep dying and the maggots who shoot them get to live? I can’t see it and whatever the reason may be is lost on me.

The Doc thanked me for letting me talk about it and I thanked him for calling. He’s got a heart but who couldn’t help but feel sad to hear a story like this? I have nothing to bitch about in comparison and my little issues with anything pale in comparison. My life is ok.

I had lunch with Marc Schultz before I received the call and we talked about how to get the most mileage out of my TV appearance. He has some ideas and so do I so we kicked it around along with how I can make this ex partner thing disappear before it gets ugly.

I want the guy to stop using my name and get out of my life forever. Period. Life has no guarantees and I don’t want to waste a day of mine dealing with leakers. Wasting time on anything but doing good doesn’t seem worth it. This was another reminder to be grateful.