WPBT Trip Report: The Missing Man Perspective....

When the anticipation of attending the yearly storming of the strip is ripped from your heart, a new and rather dangerous anticipation creeps into your head. Its the anticipation of the trip reports in the aftermath of the successful candidates appearances, that gives one something to cling to. Something that seems to hold value and something, that is supposed to make you feel at least a modicum better, after having to miss out on the fun.

Funny though, it just makes me feel worse!

Don't get me wrong here, I love reading every ones stories. I can say unequivocally, I would feel FAR worse if I didn't have them to review. It's just the whole double-edged sword thing you know? No reads at all, I'd feel so left out of all the fun. But to read about all of the shenanigans and tom-foolery, is akin to getting that first helium balloon as a kid. Only to eventually find out that once you let go of the string for just a split second, the balloon will slowly and quite painfully, allow you to watch it disappear into the far reaching blue sky.

If you've been before and couldn't make one of our little gatherings for any of a number of reasons, I think you know what I'm trying to convey. If you've never been to a gathering before, I hope that you will allow yourself to partake in all of the fun, as soon as you get the chance.

I do not believe this to be too simplified to be honest. I actually think that saying our little community ranges as far and wide as the imagination will allow you to take it, could possibly be one of the understatements of the century.

Diversity & Adversity.
Camaraderie & Debauchery.
Gentile & Futile.
Heart warming & Heart wrenching.
CEO's & The Unemployed.
Writers & Dreamers.

We have anything and everything you could ever dream up, here in our little cluster of fun.

I found it entirely ironic that as the WPBT was blasting in full force over the weekend, so was one of the worst Winter storms in Bedrock's history. Why you ask? Well here's this Missing man's perspective.

In the world as it is right now, multi-billion dollar deals are going down with neither party actually ever having to meet. At least not face-to-face. A simple 'click' is really all it takes. Homes are bought and sold, pharmaceuticals can be purchased and any other multitude of wheeling and dealing can be done, all in the same manner. Just avoid any actual contact, then 'click' and the deal is done. Hell we even call ourselves IIF's! Some that we just can't wait to see again, some we'll meet for the first time or best of all for the real veterans of this little community of ours, we'll recall all of our previous hi jinx in hilarity, while making new memories as we trudge along. All conveyed with a few simple words on a screen in front of us and then, the transaction is considered complete. All with just a simple 'click' of a mouse.

In life in general, how many of us can say that we know all of our neighbours? I'm not talking about the house next door, or even the one, two or three houses down the road from that one. I'm talking about the basic community of folks, that you've chosen to surround your family with. I don't think I'm going too far out on the limb here, to say very few is a pretty accurate assumption.

So the Winter storm around these parts was an awful lot like one of our gatherings for me, when complete strangers would park on the side of a snowy and blowing cold road, all in an effort to help pull someone else out of the ditch. Simple acts of heart warming kindness took place, where new friends were made and old friendships were rekindled. The Farmer with his snow blower attached to his John Deere, simply makes stops at each and every driveway along the way. The man across the road is carrying a bag of milk. All the while, struggling to keep his feet beneath him in the ice and snow. Why is he doing that? He knows the single mom with two children under five down the road, hasn't been able to get out now for days.

You see during the worst Winter storm in years around these parts, I walked up to a man that seemed only vaguely familiar to me and rather soon after that, we called each other friend. Only to find out that this one simple action, soon lead me to discover I had hundreds more just like him around here. It was the same with my first ever gathering. I simply walked up to a man that somehow seemed a little familiar to me, only to have called him friend ever since. And with that one simple action on my part I also soon discovered, I had hundreds more just like him in you.

So since the irony of the timing is not lost on me at all, here is my message to you. If you never have before, get to a gathering of some type. Because only then will you truly find out just how many friends you may really have, in this wonderful community that's developed.

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....