Who's Your Top 40?

Thursday April 7th, 2011 - Fox Lake, IL

   Here’s an interesting exercise for anyone at any time throughout the course of life. Who would be the most desirable people to have your life if you were starting it all over again? Make a top ten and work up to one hundred. That’s what I’ve been doing and it isn’t easy.

   I’m not necessarily a social butterfly, but I’ve always known a lot of people. I would say it’s because I have a lot of interests, and have been a member of several groups in my life. I know hundreds of comedians for example, because I’ve been one my entire adult life.

   There are probably several thousand people who call themselves comedians, even if the majority of them aren’t full time. It’s also a transient business and we’re always traveling and working with different people each week. The opportunity exists to meet new people, and it’s almost impossible not to. That alone has made my contact list larger than most.

   I’ve also been involved in radio, professional wrestling as a ring announcer and dabbled in wheeling and dealing sports cards. All those categories have a lot of people in the ranks and I’ve met more people than most. If I don’t have more contacts than the average bloke, it’s my own fault. I’ve had chances to meet a lot of people and I’ve tried to nurture that.

  That being said, losing my phone contact list has been an extra large hassle I wasn’t in a mood to deal with right now, but when is a good time? Never. It happened when and how it did, and like it or not I’m going to have to rebuild my list from zero. Where do I start?

   I’ve got a twenty-five year strong contact base built up of comedy friends, radio friends, wrestling friends and just plain civilian friends I’ve made living all over the country doing radio and living in towns like Lansing, Reno, Salt Lake City, Chicago and Los Angeles.

   I’ve even got a few family members thrown in there and a list of women I know and am interested in. My grandpa always said it’s important to have a farm system of women, just like a baseball team, even if I got married. He did. He said it’s good insurance to stash the numbers and keep in touch with a few women in case things go sour at home. Smart guy.

   Now, take all those contacts from all those sources from all those years, and choose the best of the best, and start a master list from the ground up. Like draft choices for a sports team, who gets chosen first? Wait, not so fast. Think it over and choose a balanced list of both those who can help and those who need help. Who makes life better by being in it?

   I’d never thought of it quite that way before, and it was difficult to narrow down who I chose for my top ten, but I did. Then I made categories and chose some more names and raised it up to a Top 40 list, like records. That wasn’t easy either, but it made me think.

   I’m sure the list will evolve and grow to hunrreds, but I’ll pay attention to it like never before. I don’t want to waste my dwindling time here on dolts, maggots, energy drainers,  or Vikings fans. I think we all should have a Top 40 contact list. It’s a foundation of life.

Posted via email from Dobie Maxwell's "Dented Can" Diary