Life Lessons from "Randy"

"The Bear,"

After reading some of your posts on the ridiculousness of some people, I wanted to share with you a story really close to my heart. It is a story that taught me a good lesson about others and life. I was in college and I decided to go on a road trip with my best friend and I to a weekend football game. When we left for the game that morning from Oklahoma to Illinois (it was a full days drive and yes we did skip class) we both were put in a little 2 door red car with a couple of girls and a guy who I will refer to simply as "Randy." While the seating arrangements were less than ideal, it was the rest of the trip which I will never forget.

It seemed like the whole way there "Randy" had Tim McGraw's "Something Like That" on repeat (he had just bought the cd) and we all knew better that to ask him to change it. You see, "Randy" was a special individual, one that (as we soon found out) if you rubbed the wrong way could melt down at a moment's notice.

After hours of loud country (still the same song) and no heat (Lord only knows it was late fall and freezing outside) we finally spoke up to "Randy" and asked him to turn on the heat. Maybe it was the fact that he ignored us and turned up the music, or just maybe it was because that same damn song kept ringing in our ears, but we figured we had been through enough. We once again, and again, asked him to please turn on the heat as we didn't want to violate our morals to keep warm.

It could have been that he had been driving all day. It could have been that he was annoyed that we sang along with the country song (albeit off-tune). It could have even been that he didn't like us telling him what to do in his car. Whatever the cause though, that was it. "Randy" lost it and started screaming some non-sense about leaving us on the side of the road. It truly was a frightening moment. At the next gas station the girls ran crying from the car and my friend and I sent out a search party for help (well, not really, but we were a bit scared). I don't think either of us had been that close to psychotic behavior, or even death. Either way when the group got to Chicago for the evening we had some friends "take care" of good old "Randy" and we drifted off to sleep (myself with one eye open).

I tell you this story because I saw "Randy" a few years later at my friend's campus and he wasn't really such a terrible guy. I think the prozac had done wonders because he was actually quite friendly. We were in the computer lab (other around us were doing homework and he was like "HEY GUYS, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?" It was quite embarrassing because we were like "Randy, shhhhh.. people are studying." "YEAH GUYS, ME TOO... I JUST LOVE THE COMPUTER LAB. IT'S SO NICE AND QUIET HERE." And with that we left with a smile (we may have ducked out the door, actually).

We often reminisce about "Randy." A guy just like you and me, although, none of us are probably locked up at this point. But I learned a few good lessons from this experience. "Randy" was a good guy, a bit misunderstood, and we misjudged him simply because he almost killed us or left us stranded like on an episode of LOST. I learned if you are going to judge someone, get to know them first, or simply just stay the hell away from their car if you value you life (others may not end up as lucky)!

Please make sure and pass this on to your readers as it could save them some heartache.

Paul in Tulsa




Paul,

I appreciate your letter of concern and I will pass it along to my readers. I am glad you made it out alive and it is a good lesson about not getting in the car with strangers, especially ones under a psychologists care. As for your friend "Randy," I could swear I know him. And I know I know people like him. And as for the song, that's tough man, real tough. Hang in there and tell "Randy" to keep it quiet in the computer lab, some of us are trying read ESPN's updates (studying? me? you have got to be kidding!). I appreciate it Paul.


"I had a barbecue stain on my white t-shirt,"

"The Bear"