Potluck Exposition

My name is Donnie, and like most people, I was born. My early childhood was magical (as I now remember it at least), filled with He-Man (I named my cat after Battlecat’s alter-ego…Cringer), G.I. Joe, Star Wars, M.A.S.K., the A-Team, Hot Wheels, Micromachines, M.U.S.C.L.E.S., Superman, Spiderman, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, cowboys & indians, cops & robbers, Smurfs, Mon Chi Chis, Shirt Tails, the Snorks, Run-DMC, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Poison, Cinderella, Ratt, Europe, the Karate Kid, the NeverEnding Story, Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo, the Princess Bride, Diff’rent Strokes, the Facts of Life, the Cosby Show, Punky Brewster, Silver Spoons, Saturday Morning Cartoons (the only thing besides my childhood Christmases that’s ever motivated me to excitedly jump out of bed before 7 AM on any given day), Happy Meals and birthday parties at McDonald’s featuring magicians, ventriloquists, and the old school playgrounds that used to have spring mounted fry guy rides, merry go rounds that you could fly off of if you spun too quickly, and large climbable objects from which you could fall if you were not careful…all the funnest stuff of which kids today know nothing. I could become anything I wanted to become, and my favorite person to become was an imaginary cowboy I made up named Jon Plotts. Jon Plotts wore a cowboy hat, boots, a plaid shirt, blue jeans, and a Lone Ranger mask, and his weapon of choice was a homemade lightsaber. There is still video documentation of the existence of Jon Plotts. Back then I could surf in my dad’s rocking recliner while listening to rock n’ roll, though the Beach Boys were always the best for surfing in a recliner. I could breakdance in my mind, but this never quite translated into the same thing when captured on video tape. I wanted to be a magician when I grew up. A magician or an NBA star. Magic Johnson. The best of both worlds.Those dreams passed away with my childhood, and now I’m an old man with 30 years under his belt. Not old, but older. Not wise, but wiser. Not attractive, but attractiver. No need for “more” or “most.” Life is enjoyabler when you can make your own rules. So is speech, but I have a degree in English, and unless you do too, you should stick to the rules. I should clarify. “…when you can make your own rules” within the boundaries that God has already made for us. I make every effort to not test God’s rules. They’re solid and meant to be kept. Jesus loves me, and I love Jesus. He knows I try. He’s seen me fail. He watched me when I was a child, and He watches me now. And I’m still a child, and He’s helping me grow up.