The Mr. Houdini. I like to imagine a chess set in his head
sometimes. Playing the field for reasons that you don’t even know yet.
Sometime, though, future you, will realize that this Mr. Miagi has chosen his
words or actions for specific purpose – for you. Yes you. This selflessness
does not go without shedding some frustrations onto its innocent bystanders. Like myself.
Riley knows that I have been working on my self-confidence -
mostly because I told him, but also because he can read minds. Straying from my
point just for a moment, well I guess not, because the point is Riley, but I
think on several occasions we have achieved telepathy. I needed a knife one
time, stuck out my hand, and without words or hesitation, Riley handed me a
knife. I don’t think we thought anything of it at the time, but everyone else
in the room was fairly flabbergasted.
On one likely climbing trip we were leading together, I
asked him to evaluate an anchor I had built – all on my lonesome up on a cliffs
edge, with slight traces of uncertainty.
He of course said, “yeah dawg.” He scurried up this climb and some time
later descended to tell me his thoughts. I strolled over to him and asked, “so
how were the placements? What did you think of the anchor? Was it distributed
effectively?” and with no hesitation he replied, “yeah man, it was fine.”
Fine.. that was the word I will never forget. FINE!? Just fine!? My vexation
was completely rational in the world of Jackson. I decided to clarify, thinking
to myself, maybe he meant to say something else, this word could not have been
chosen on purpose, no, way. “Just, fine?” “Yeah, it was fine.” The absurd
amount clarifying questions that followed are not worth mentioning. But this
moment exemplifies myself and Rileys eternal dawgship.
I realized many moons later, that this scrappy young man,
had planted that word firmly in the fertilizer of my mind with much purpose and
intent. That vague, one word, evaluation, was exactly what future Jackson
needed. Now, present Jackson wasn’t that happy about it, but future Jackson now
present Jackson knows – riley is my dawg. Trying to play the game of chess, so
I will be a more confident human being in the days to come. Indeed, he has
succeeded, I don’t really need him to tell me how my anchors are anymore.
However, I do remember the next climbing trip. “hey riley, is that placement, fine?” and without doubt, snuffling in
his laugh, “yeah man, it was definitely fine.”
I recall walking down from that one trip we lead, side by
side with Riley, questioning his purposeful word and the meaning of it. He
said, “look dude, fine stands for, Fucking Insanely Nice Excellent.” Yup,
that’s my dude. You can always count on Riley. I recollect multiple occasions
in which he has woken me up out of my slumber, in the armpit of the morning,
and waited for 10 minutes outside of my door, patiently for me to get ready. When
you’re doing something with Riley, you’re doing it together, without a doubt.
ALSO! I remember when he was going to come climbing with me and my family. The
afternoon before the trip he said,
“dude I’m going to ditch somebody I
haven’t ditched in along time.”
“oh yeah? That sucks.”
“Yeah, you.”
24 hours later. He was hanging out with me and my family at
Linville Gorge – having compromised his other plans to stick with ours. That’s
the kinda guy Riley is, good ol’ faithful dawg, filled with smiles and
unforgettable sessions of laughter sometimes fabricated out of a wordless
infinitesimal spec of time. If your getting stoked, you best believe he’s
coming along for ‘the stoke’. Simple undertones of, “sick-as-shit-lou.” So here’s
to Riley, a dude above all other dudes.
Lattes are for hours, dawgs are forever.
-Jackson
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