To a friend, part 1Posted By jeff catalina |
Hi Folks. I'm a little sad today. A guy I know was murdered last night while he worked at a local Radio Shack near my home. His name was Chris. He was shot to death in the process of an armed robbery. It seems that three men wearing ski masks entered the store shortly before closing and demanded money from the register and the safe. He was disabled, walked with a limp and a cane, and has had several brain surgeries in the past four or five years. And they shot him because he wasn't moving fast enough.
Previously he worked at a 7-11 right around the corner from me. I got to know him pretty well over the course of a year and a half because of my addiction to caffeine and the fact that I have multiple sclerosis, so we sometimes talked about our respective approaches to daily life. It was always a pleasure to talk with him about some of the simplest things. It was fun watching him kid with his regular customers, all of whom liked him, and even more fun watching him control the coffee station as if it was his own personal air traffic control tower. Never an empty pot, always a fresh pot brewing.
I felt like he enjoyed our conversations as much as I did. Maybe he was just being polite, but I believe he was the most genuine person I've ever met, and that he looked forward to them too. I always found it remarkable how happy he seemed, and marveled at how he never let his disabilities get the better of him. My disibilites are absolutely nothing compared to his. So positive an outlook on life I have never encountered before and it soon became my daily dose of *perspective*---one that I found I needed more and more, just like the coffee, I guess.
Previously he worked at a 7-11 right around the corner from me. I got to know him pretty well over the course of a year and a half because of my addiction to caffeine and the fact that I have multiple sclerosis, so we sometimes talked about our respective approaches to daily life. It was always a pleasure to talk with him about some of the simplest things. It was fun watching him kid with his regular customers, all of whom liked him, and even more fun watching him control the coffee station as if it was his own personal air traffic control tower. Never an empty pot, always a fresh pot brewing.
I felt like he enjoyed our conversations as much as I did. Maybe he was just being polite, but I believe he was the most genuine person I've ever met, and that he looked forward to them too. I always found it remarkable how happy he seemed, and marveled at how he never let his disabilities get the better of him. My disibilites are absolutely nothing compared to his. So positive an outlook on life I have never encountered before and it soon became my daily dose of *perspective*---one that I found I needed more and more, just like the coffee, I guess.
