Saturday, September 15, 2012

New Ones



Whew!  I spoke more yesterday than I probably do in a month total, but it was so worth it. I was able to talk with every English student at the high school.  Originally, I thought it would be a class here and there but ended up being all classes for all seven periods. There were the usual comments/questions of how to start writing, reading/writing is boring, what do you do when you get writer’s block, how much money do you make, and how long does it take.  

Another series of questions were about my hobbies, Harleys, martial arts, what I do for a living, etc.  The funniest question was, “Why do you write if you are not getting paid?”  We did have a fair amount of fun with that one.  One student actually caught me off guard with one question, “So what happened with Roy and the rattlesnake?”  She had opened to a random page and read the entry I wrote about my friend Roy Horn and how he was bitten by a rattlesnake as a boy and lost his leg below the knee.  I told every class that someone would do or say something that would inspire me to write about the experience, and they did indeed. 

Some of the memorable moments for me include the overall courtesy of the staff students and people of Giddings, there were no baggy pants, no one yelling or acting up, firm handshakes from the boys and girls, and the kids that stayed after to ask questions.  The one standout moment though was the young man that asked me a question in the sixth period session, “Do you ever reread anything you have read or written and do I relive the situation when I reread it?”  I answered the question that yes it does speak to me different as my life is different from the original reading to the second or third reading.”  I could not really elaborate as we ran out of time.  Well, he found me again last night at the gala, and said, “I was the one that asked you the question about rereading and reliving.”  I could tell from his body language that he either has experienced or is experiencing reliving a situation.  We spoke for another five minutes or so about how and why things speak to us differently at different points in time.  We wrapped up the conversation with a firm handshake and the respective thank you.

As Keith Urban puts it, “These are the days we will remember.”  To Principal Rood, all the students of Giddings High School, the Texas Word Wrangler Team, and 290 Grind Coffee House, thank you so much for your hospitality and for allowing me the opportunity for some great new experiences and some days that I will certainly remember.

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