I have a lot of stories about my life still left to write, so I’m taking a break from my weekly Hidden Gems From The B-Side posts and the Friday Hank Jr. posts I’ve been doing.
At some point I’ll return to them. Eventually, I think I’ll move on from Hank Jr. and maybe do Bob Dylan next. And maybe in the future I’ll do some more of the Shakespeare & Me & Guest ones too.
Right now, though, I want to get some of my life stories written down so I’ll have them for my memoir down the road.
Oh, also… I have some of my song recordings from the bathroom that I would consider bloopers or just funny moments, and I plan on doing a special limited edition post. A lot of these were recorded before I ever decided to post them here. Most of them were just ones I did and sent to different friends and stuff in texts, just goofing off, trying to be funny, or just making funny mistakes while practicing or experimenting.
And to give you an idea of the atmosphere of how I record, I go into my little small bathroom and shut the door behind me. I either sit on the toilet or on a little stool that I have. I open my audio app, then sit my phone down on a roll of toilet paper on a small shelf above the toilet. Then I grab my guitar, press record, sit down, and whatever happens happens.
But I’ll be sharing these.
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you and your support, also. I’m honored to be here on WordPress with you, and I love reading your blog. It helps me.
What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done when no one was watching?
I’m not sure this is the bravest thing. I have some better ones I could write about but this just came to mind, a memory I had almost forgotten.
When I was young, growing up in Georgia, there was a beautiful 10 acre lake way back up in the woods behind my house. My birthday is in September, so I believe I was 13 at the time, about to turn 14.
Anyways, the lake was full of big bass and huge bluegill. Me and my friends spent many a day fishing it and sometimes swimming, but we had to be careful because it had its share of venomous water moccasin snakes, aka the Cottonmouth. I mentioned these in my earlier post on snakes, but if you got bit, there was no one around to help you and no way to call 911.
So one hot and humid summer day I borrowed my neighbor’s 12 foot aluminum jon boat. It was just what you call a blank hull. It had no motor or extras or seats except for bench type seating made into the body. It was as plain Jane as they come. It was also fairly lightweight as boats go and it had a long rope tied to the bow of it.
My friends and I would get 2 or sometimes 3 of us to a side and tote it with our fishing gear laid inside it, then walk the 45 minutes through the woods on the trails to get to the lake, stopping occasionally to rest.
So yeah, that particular day we made it to the lake, we put the boat in the water, paddled out and started fishing.
We didn’t care about life jackets in them days. They were for lil kids. We were grown ass men. Might as well have arm floaties on 😎😁
I remember the fish not biting that day, probably because it was so hot. After a while my friends got tired of fishing and began to joke around, goof off, act like dummies and started rocking the boat. Long story short, the boat filled with water then flipped and went under, so we all grabbed what we could and swam to shore. And we weren’t like panicked or anything, we were cool. It was no big deal. I had my rod and reel and my tacklebox in hand and still managed to make it, at times swimming on my back.
I remember I was pissed though because I had borrowed the boat and I was responsible for it. They didn’t really give a shit. They all ended up going home, but I stayed because another friend from a neighborhood on the other side of the woods was supposed to meet me there later that afternoon. Of course, we didn’t have cell phones back then, so I had no way of contacting him. I decided to hang out and wait.
I started back fishing from shore. As I looked out across the water, I noticed something. It looked like the very top tip of the boat was sticking out of the water. Then I realized it hadn’t sunk all the way.
I was so happy to see this and that it wasn’t at the bottom. I knew that long rope was still attached to it, so I thought if I could get to that, then maybe there was a chance to save it and pull the boat in.
I figured maybe it was somewhat buoyant being just a lightweight empty hull. Also, possibly it had some air or something trapped in it. I don’t know.
So I took my shoes and shirt off and got in the water and swam to the boat. It was a good ways out, probably 40 or 50 yards.
Did I mention I’m a great swimmer? Not to brag or anything but it is what it is for this story. 😁
Oh and also, there was absolutely no one around to save me if I got in trouble.
But I had to try. I didn’t want to have to look my neighbor in the eye later and tell him what happened.
So I made it to the exposed part of the bow and grabbed on and kind of rested for a spell. I was also able to tell that the boat was at a good angle and just sitting there about 4 feet under the water at the stern.
After I chilled for a few and regained some strength, I found the rope and pulled on the boat some and it began to move.
Ok I got this… here we go. Get ready, let’s give it a go and see what happens.
So I started swimming like a human tugboat. It was tough and it remained partially submerged, but I made it back to shore… with the boat, mind you. I was exhausted but never for a moment did I feel like I was in danger of going under. But if that boat went under, then my ass would really be in danger.
It was a great way to end a day of fishing.
Hey deddy… guess what? I caught a 12 footer today! You should have seen it!
And what can I say? Not too bad for a 13 year old Gen X kid, alone by himself in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a lake with a half sunken neighbor’s boat. 🤷♂️
What’s the weirdest coincidence you’ve ever experienced?
I probably shouldn’t tell this story, but I am.
Years ago, in the mid-90s, I was in my early 20s and my friend’s band played weekly at a local nightclub on the southside of Atlanta. Occasionally, I’d go hang out and watch the show, and sometimes he’d ask me to come up and do a song or two.
Well, one night I met this older woman. She came up to me and was telling me how much she liked my song, and we ended up talking for awhile about music and stuff. We had some drinks, and later that night I ended up going back to her place.
She told me she used to be a pastor’s wife and that she was recently divorced. I went home the following morning, and that was the last time I ever saw her.
Okay, let’s fast forward to about 2oO4.
I had met a new friend. He was an older guy, but we hit it off, and he was friends with the owner of the sports bar where I played weekly. I’d known him for a few months, and sometimes I’d go over to his house and chill, or we’d go to other bars.
One night, he and his girlfriend came and picked me up, and we went back to her place. As we turned into the apartment complex where she lived, I was like, “Hmm… these look familiar.”
Then it all came back to me.
I realized it was the same ones where the older woman I’d met years earlier had lived.
Then I saw the exact apartment.
So I started telling my friend and his girlfriend the story. I told them about the woman, how I met her, that she said she was a former pastor’s wife, and that I spent that one night with her and never saw her again.
Everyone got super quiet after I finished.
Then my friend goes, “Hey honey, didn’t you used to live in that apartment? And you used to be a preacher’s wife too?”
Dead silence.
And now I’m like…
“Ooo geees.”
She glanced back at me, and that’s when I realized it was her.
Shortly after that, we arrived at her place. It was a different apartment in the same complex where she lived now, but we all went inside and hung out.
When I was a teenager, playing and singing, I would go for hours and hours alone in my room. I was passionate about it, and it brought me so much joy, peace, and healing.
Then I got older, and drugs and alcohol entered the picture. And people. Things changed.
Then, I kind of forgot about secular music for a while and had my Christian music ministry. Toward the end of that, I just felt burned out and dealing with these ongoing heavy things, it made me lose the fire.
So I quit playing for a handful of years and wasn’t sure I’d ever play again.
Well, I started playing again this year, as some of you know, and it’s just been amazing for me.
I feel like that kid again.
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Here’s 2 songs that are the epitome of great hidden B-side gems. I just recorded these tonight, a few hours ago.
The summer of 2oO6, not long after I got back from the crossroads, I left Atlanta with the clothes on my back and moved out to Dallas Texas, to live with a friend and start a new life.
I took a job driving 18 wheelers with FedEx Ground, and I ended up training new drivers fresh out of CDL school with zero experience. It was my first time teaching this stuff, and it was actually really rewarding. I have a lot of great stories I could tell you from those days, but I’ll save them for another time.
I want to tell you a different story about another type of truck.
Sometimes on my days off, I’d go down to this little Mexican food truck on the corner from my house. The food was incredible. I mean, it ranks right up there with some of the best Mexican food I’ve ever had.
And the lady who owned the truck and cooked all the food was super beautiful.
I mean drop dead beautiful.
I remember thinking I’d never had anyone more beautiful take my order. I don’t even think I’d ever seen anyone more beautiful before. Maybe I had, but I’d have to really sit down and think about it.
One day I ordered a burrito and sat down at one of the little tables she had set up for her customers.
I got about three bites in when I felt something strange in my mouth.
I stopped chewing.
I was like, WTH?
I reached into my mouth with two fingers and pulled out a long black hair.
And I mean super long.
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Part of it came out of my mouth, but the rest was still inside the burrito.
So I pulled.
And pulled.
And pulled.
Finally, the whole thing came out.
…
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Wow.
I just sat there completely blown away.
I couldn’t believe it.
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I’m so lucky.
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So obviously I went back the next day and ordered another burrito, hoping for another hair.
I share some of my blog posts on my other platforms and with people I’m connected to in ministry. I’ve had quite a few people ask me about what happened to me with the crossroads thing, so I decided to share the story in an audio recording.
I also added 2 songs I just recorded, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “Love Song.” I hope yall enjoy them, and thank you for your continued support.
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My Crossroads StoryWill The Circle Be Unbroken Love Song
Heart of Loia `'.,°~ 