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Originally posted by Renee

Great story, Mike - another little 'Kodak Moment' in life. I just love this line of work, it really allows - no, it CREATES the most positive and peaceful perspective of the human condition. Hundreds and hundreds of people who, for about an hour, are your New Best Friend. There's something so significant in this, that people - almost always, almost everyone - can be nice, at least for an hour.

I look back at that 'crowd' of people, and think "gee - I KNOW that in that crowd of all my New Best Friends, there are the jerks among us, the dweebs, those with severe victim-mentality, those that cut me off on the freeway, those that flip me the bird because I didn't jack-rabbit off the second the light turned green. They're ALL in that crowd, but ... for an hour, they were all my New Best Friends."

So - you take that, and extend it forward. The guy who cuts me off? Eh, well, we all have our failings and weaknesses, but I'm sure that if I gave him a chance - he'd be my New Best Friend, too. Well, for an hour, anyway ...

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Originally posted by Mikevergere

I was asked to do a signing in a rural area on a Friday night in the middle of the foothills to the Ozarks. I accepted as I usually do. I drove for about an hour before I came to the gravel road which took me to the subdivision which was an even worse gravel road. I finally arrived at the house in totally pitch dark and rain and realized I was at the end of the road. The dogs started coming out of the woods to greet me, and since I've watched the Dog Whisperer religously I felt I had everything under control. I made it to the gravel sidewalk before I realized that I needed to run to the front door. I made it with half of my pant leg torn at the knee and hanging off of my shoes. The lady greeted me and opened the front door saying come on in and take dem pants off and I'll mend em for ye. I went in and soon realized that I was in the "TRAILER DOWN BY THE RIVER". She sat me down on the only bar stool at the devider between the kitchen and the living room. It looked like they had just dressed a deer in the living room except for the 1,000 inch flat screen TV. As it turns out the Mrs. was the only person on the loan but of course the husband had to sign some documents. And as luck would have it, he was on the river fishing for big catfish and wasn't about to come up to the house on the best catfishing night of the month. So after getting everything signed at the house I went down to the river through the woods in the pitch dark, yes with my new companion dog pack, to wait for the guy to come let me in the boat. Well I yelled for him and he finally picked me up and immediately went back out to fish. So there I was on the river, holding documents and a flashlight so the guy could sign some of the documents after I talked him into washing his hands of the worm and fish guts. Well, I think I found a new fishing buddy and thank God I have enough kahunnies to stand tall and walk forward for my customers. The loan closed without a hitch and I learned something about stereotypes. These people were certainly not fitting the mold of their environment at all. They had suffered greatly at the hands of an identity thief and were just escaping society for fear of it ever happening to them again. Both were very nice people with excellent jobs and yes, they still live in a trailer down by the river.

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