Reminded of When Things Go Right

You know those decisions you make, great or small, that attempts the best outcome possible? I'm sure you've noticed that those decisions set forth many of other variables spinning that cause change in your life as well. How about those smaller variables that you pay little attention to? They can mutate into something perfect for you...for years.

I was reminded of one in a dream last night. I woke up and the first drowsy but right thought I had about it was, “That was ONE of the best choices I made.”

I dreamt I was at an impromptu reunion of my college days. In it, we were twenty-two but had all the life of the past fifty years behind us. Dreams are great for that. We talked over old times and how we came to know one another the first time.

When I was in my last year of high school, it was expected of me to pick a college, a few of them , to apply to. I sort of knew where I was headed and more to the point, what was possible and what I was qualified for. MIT sure was out! I never did have a “dream” college to aim for as finances were restricted as well.

My choices all settled on the colleges in Rhode Island, public ones too. I picked Rhode Island College. I will now disturb today's parents with this: RIC cost me, back then and in total, about $1,200 a year. Holy Cross in Worcester today costs about $55,000 a year...ouch!

I'll admit I had a Bluto Blutarsky GPA of...ready? 0.93. It wasn't due to being a party animal or a moron. I was, for the first two years of college life, tending to one of the first nasty illnesses of my Mom. That certainly took a lot of the wind out of my academic sails. Once she had stabilized, I could throw all my energy into improving my grades. I managed to shoot those up in one semester's time once freed from my “nursing” job.

Near the end of my second year there, I hadn't made too many newer friends as RIC, then as now I hear, is still a commuter college. By the end of the last class there, the campus pretty much empties out and on weekends, can become a ghost town. The only times you can meet someone is during class. And it's expected that you shut your mouth during class...this is COLLEGE! So there wasn't a lot of room for socializing.

One day, I had happened to be waiting around for the notes of a classmate who I was going to sponge off of as I was out sick the previous class. He asked to “talk and walk” with him as he went over what had happened in that last class. By the end of our walk, we had ended up at the room where the students had a club in the History department. Within a few weeks, I was adopted there.

*****

Growing up in Pawtucket, where I was, had an odd mix of people. We were never poverty stricken as our parents had those wonderful “after WW2 careers” that lasted forever and paid decently. But the heavy blue collar flavor of a city abundant in mills, saturated us with a working class mentality. I grew up with lower to middle class punks. Even those of us who had parents in professional careers knew how to act around the kids of working stiffs.

I suppose every person can say this. Our hometowns with their boundaries are the entire universe when we were kids and teens. Rhode Island can be pretty insular, but you'll notice the towns can be even much more parochial. The breadth of experiences you can have in them are restricted. And to top it off, most of us then had little idea on how restricted it was.

I knew, however.

Because I enjoyed reading, learning and had an incredible curiosity streak in me, I did very well in school. It also gave me the nagging suspicion that many of those around me were living in the Dark Ages when it came to anything progressive. I was deemed a brainiac at a young age and held in some slight contempt when I'd offer up a differing viewpoint on things. I can remember having arguments over that with other kids in my classroom back then. The stuff that was coming out of my mouth was far too incredible to be believed. I must be wrong, again.

In Mr. Holt's 9^th grade World History classroom, he decided to throw out to us this; “Does Might Make Right?” I swear 99% of the classroom voiced their agreement but one person, guess who. I was trounced on for disagreeing, but being who I am, when contentious, I wasn't going to back down.

“Ah Ronnie, you think you know it all...again! One and all would say

“Might makes right? No it doesn't! It never did!” I'd shoot back

Of course, I'd see them leaning over in their chairs, telling one another how right they were and affirming that once again, I was the Lone Nut, as I'd always been.

“Might makes right huh?” I went on. “Did you know Hitler was elected to be Chancellor of Germany...by the majority? He just didn't TAKE power.”

I knew already half the class had no idea of how democracy in a twisted sense, brought Hitler to power.

I went on...

“According to you guys, according to Might Makes Right, the German voters were RIGHT to bring Hitler to power!"

Dead silence.

Finally, Mr Holt, who had an odd enjoyment of seeing people battle one another (he was a football coach as well) asks;

“Any of you wanna take Ronnie on?”

Not a peep.

Years go by and I find myself out of Pawtucket at Rhode Island College.

There, I met others from different towns of RI and Massachusetts. And I suppose due to the nature of a commuter college and the fact that it's wider net drew in a variety of distinctive people, cliques rarely formed to silence any dissent in what you thought, or who you were. My first real metropolitan scene! Yeah, I know...it's still Rhode Island, but it was enough.

I loved it.

What I took from RIC was not the degree, not the education, but the times and enjoyment of the people I met there.  For me, it was a time when meeting the right mix of people caused me to grow in leaps and bounds.  The people of RIC were that for me.

Funny how these things work, huh? You do your best to navigate your life towards a favored goal, and in doing so, on occasion, set in motion seemingly inconsequential details that benefit you far greater than your first goal ever could.

Last night's dream was gratifying.