“Look Out For That Pole!”
I still remember it like it was yesterday; even though it was many yesterday’s ago. In fact, whenever I rub my hand across the bridge of my nose, feeling that “fault line”, I am reminded of the jarring impact that created the lasting reminder of that shattering event. Now that I am pondering it again, I can almost find the spot on the back hit my head where he hit me with his head, knocking me back (“back”? Yes. It is painfully so.) into that steel, sidewalk intruding pole that served both as a support for the metal covering over the sidewalk and a nose-breaking #*@^%$&!!!
High school was occupying the biggest part of my world in those days. As a sophomore I was heading to the gym at Tuscola Senior High (Right. The one over in Waynesville, NC). A pep rally was about to happen. The “Marching Mountaineers” band was leading the way. Through each of the school buildings the band had paraded, setting all of us free from geometry, chemistry, typing, history, English, auto-mechanics, agriculture, and a wide variety of academic and vocational pursuits. We were heading to the gym! We were going to yell loudly. We were going to stomp our feet and clap our hands. Because, our young men were going to prove to those Pisgah Bears (from nearby Canton, NC), once and for all, who was the king of the Haywood County Football Empire! Enough had been said, and written; it was getting close to the time for ACTION!
Well, a funny thing happened on my way to the gym. While walking along the sidewalk in the front of the school someone said something to me. Naturally, I turned to look at them, over my shoulder. Did I stop? No, of course not. After a few steps, I turned back to the front, immediately encountering that steel, sidewalk intruding, nose shattering pole. Up close and personal. Bam! My world went black as my fragile nose hit that pole. Hard! I saw stars. I heard birds singing. Both eyes became water fountains. Something warm and sticky began to drop down on my shirt and coating my hands when I lifted them to see if I could determine the extent of the damage I had done. I stood there, entirely remaining too close to the pole. All of a sudden, it was lam/bam/crash/pow all over again. For you see, a buddy of mine (His status immediately changed to include the word “former” being placed in front of the word “buddy”.) had not noticed what trauma I was in so he just walked into the back of me. He struck his nose on the back of my head, knocking me back into the pole for a return visit. Ghee whiz! I was addled, to say the least. (Some who know me well claim that I have never been the same since. Of course, I have no idea what they are referring to.) This impact with the same pole resulted in me lying in a heap on the sidewalk. My former buddy chastised me by saying, “You are going to have to learn to look out for that pole”. While he had a slight nose bleed, he went on to the pep rally. Me? Well, my mother came took me for a little visit to Dr. Brown. Yes, it was broken. Both of my eyes turned black, followed by the ugliest color of green I ever saw. Some days, I think I am still in the process of recovering.
But now I must say that whole experience taught me a real important lesson about life. The lesson, simply stated, is this “when you are going forward keep looking ahead”. In life, one of the secrets to living a fulfilling and productive life is to keep looking forward. I got into trouble because I was looking backward instead of forward when there was a steel pole waiting on me. Sure it is important to look back, to revisit, and to remember. However, it is not good to linger over that which is behind us. Sure, there are some important people back there, and some real good times that lead to some pleasant retelling. But, lingering over the past (with all of its faults, flaws, failures, and disappointments too) may cause you to run into that pole that is stationed in your path ahead. Did you ever stop to think that there has to be good reason the rearview mirror on a car is a lot smaller than the windshield?
Oh well, enough already. Move on. Carefully. And, by all means, “Look out for that pole!”