Day 141: What's Past is Prologue

A friend that I have known for 46 years but haven't seen in the past 25 visited me this week. It took all of three minutes to take up where we left off and hit the groove that is the unbreakable bond of brotherhood. Although we went through long stretches of time without contact, we were always able to bring each other up to speed rather quickly. Just because we didn't speak didn't mean that we didn't care; life has a nasty habit of getting in the way.

The purpose for our reunion was not so much a test to see who could dredge up the best memories but to hold up a mirror to one another and see how we're doing sixty years on. We haven't changed, we told each other. And we're still here, even though many of our old pals are long gone.

We did not talk about the campaign much. He asked a few questions about the town and its challenges and what I planned to do about solving them. He knows where I've been and what I've accomplished in life and that I've never held elected office. He knows that I've been a writer, photographer, promoter, teacher, business owner, legal aide, activist, volunteer, and goodwill ambassador. And the way he looks at it, all of my past experiences can be brought to bear on being mayor.

"Everything you've done in life and all that you've accomplished have led up to this," he said to me. "I can't think of anyone who has had more varied experience than you have, and all of it will come in handy. It seems only natural that a life like yours should culminate with being mayor of Savannah, the place you love. It just seems to suit you in every way."

Too wordy for a campaign slogan, too long for a bumper sticker. But leave it to an old friend to put my candidacy into perspective.