Happy Birthday, Chris

My little brother just turned 33 on Thursday. You may not have known that I have a brother. In fact, I have 3 brothers, and one sister. Those are the children that I know of. But, Chris, the sibling that I grew up with, is the closest to me. We have not spoken to each other for nearly 10 years, give or take a couple.

On this occassion, I am sharing some memories of that little guy I used to know:

When we were tiny children, my brother had such an admiration for Evel Knevel! LOL. He used to ride his tricycle and pretend he was Evel on a motorcycle. One day he decided he would ride his tricycle up the slope of the tree stump in our front yard and jump the bike high into the air and over the stump. But, reality is not so compliant to our mental desires. LOL. That little boy took off, peddling as fast as he could at the target, hoping to soar straight up to the clouds...... BAM!! the front tire hit the base of the stump and tossed the child forward with an incredible impact that required 22 stiches across the chin!!

As youthful pre-teens, we enjoyed riding down a cable slide that my step-father had strung for us. It began at 10 feet up a tree at the top of a hill, and floated taught and straight at about a thirty degree angle to a tree at the bottom of the hill. Other than swimming in the lake, this was the spot of enjoyment on a hot summer day in the little town we grew up in. It had height, speed, and was a good source for an adreniline rush. After some time, we had to be more and more daring to get the same rush we used to. Chris, being a daring boy, decided to play "Tarzan" and swing down with one arm, screaming the amazing cry "Ahhh-ah ah ahhhhhhhhhh"!! CRASH!! from the grip he had to the ground past the ending point of the ride. He landed on his arm and his face. This incident earned him a bright white cast for four weeks.

Humor equals tragedy plus time. Yes, I'm sure I've heard that before. At the time, these actions were tragic, but now, they are amusing.

Even if he doesn't read my journal, I still want to put the birthday wish out there for him. I hope all is well.