"8" sideways is infinity

Sunday Read
for October 18, 2009


THE READ
Having survived my two older brothers another day, and toting pockets full of security as the "love baby" I entered Kindergarten. How could I go wrong, after all, I embodied the world's double celebration of the end of World War II and the death of Adolf Hitler. As if that wasn't enough, I had a back up plan were I to suddenly drop dead – my "question for God".
Soon enough though, I discovered Kindergarten to be less like Tom Corbett's simple solutions in the books "Tom Corbett and the space Cadets"; and, more like that game the adults enthusiastically played while I became more confused watching: "Monopoly". New rules on playing that board game came up so fast and furiously that the fun hooting and hollering was over with the games end before I figured out what "GO" was.
Well I was on the "board of life" positioned at the square marked: "Kindergarten – write the number 8"
Oh oh.... the first of many menacing obstacles to getting past infinity – I hadn't planned on not being able to write that number. Discovering the discontinuity of Infinity's walls temporarily lost their allure when I started to understand I might not even make it past the wall with the pictures of "Jesus", "Mary", and "Humpty Dumpty" on it.
The words “you're a fool!” did not come from Sister Spongia, nor, was it uttered by Sister Regina, the other of the two nuns who, I now know were real guardian angels. The words “you're a fool, Henry!” that authoritatively cracked through the air like the sound of a judge's gavel impact, did not come from anyone in that room, nor did it come from within myself.
But, what warmly wafted through the portal of consciousness at that time [[ as a first confrontation with myself ensued – how am I going to able to get this number "eight" written... ]] was the initial concept for my life's navigational system. A system that matured to provide guidance for setting the force of “you're a fool, Henry” into a direction of harmony when it was pronounced some 34 years later in a Portland, Oregon surgery suite.
Join Captain Flip Side in his true life adventures every Sunday!
Happy daze,
The Captain