"...we've all forgotten how to be original..." -- Peter Jackson

 I hope this guy's okay. Never actually met him, but he's stayed with me. Some folks are like that.

 When we returned from Europe, we spent a coupla months in a marginal apartment on First Street, on the edge of downtown Ft. Worth. It was in a two-story building and our second-floor, 1/1 flat needed, shall we say, some work. The hot water heater was bumped up against the fridge, so you couldn't open the door much past about halfway. The badly thinning carpet appeared to have been laid during the Carter administration. But we figured what the hell -- it's temporary until we could get back in the house and figure out what and where's next.

 Of course this is before our health issues became apparent and attention had to be turned elsewhere and still is. It's also before we had to start discussion of maybe a new living situation because it has become clear the old one won't work anymore. Looking back, I think we should have just remained at Ripped Carpet Arms for a coupla more months. But, well....

 Through it all was a guy who sat out on the front steps of the building, nursing Luckies and sometimes a beer. One afternoon I'd gone for a walk and returned to find his half-pack of smokes on the ground. I put it up on the railing so it wouldn't be stepped on or kicked to the flower bed.

 We never got a chance to talk but it was clear to me I missed a chance to meet An Original. I wrote last week about being yourself, which is certainly important, but it's quite another to be An Original. There are no copies, sequels or successful imitators. Just  Being Yourself can, in some folks, bring a brashness of "I'ma be myself no matter what. It's just Who/What I am baby, so get used to it."

 An Original doesn't need that. He/she is more observer than participant, though actually taking part in something is certainly on the table. It's why there are park benches, trails off a beaten path and other places to otherwise rediberate.

 "Rediberate" is my dad's invented word for ruminating and otherwise reflecting. I'd call his office and ask what's up and he'd say, "Oh, I dunno. Just sitting here rediberating." I own the Facebook page for the word and I need to crank it back up. Too many don't know what to call it when that's exactly what they're doing. Another indication of being An Original.

 We all know people who never seem to find themselves or learn how to work depth into daily life. They do what they're told, follow a prescribed path or otherwise fail to put themselves Out There in one form or another. It's too difficult, too risky or otherwise too scary. Or they become completely inflexible,  convinced their path is the only True Calling. I deal with one daily. But asked what he'd really like to actually do with his middle-aged life, his response would be either "I dunno" or something that would take more work than he's willing to actually do. So he does nothing, and work ethic has nothing to do with it. It's a lack of self-imposed direction.

 I've been fortunate enough to reinvent myself about four times over several careers. Believe me, I'd have a lot more money in the bank had I stuck with just one thing. But I've spent a lot of time sitting on those front steps, smoking (figurative) Luckies and sipping on (for me) a whiskey. There's definitely a price, and in my case these days it's physical but well-earned.

 Sure, I'm myself and comfortable in that skin. I can be as Out There as anyone and sometimes I am.

 But the best days are spent reflecting and rediberating. Find or create your own space to be An Original.

"...I think people are afraid to be original..." -- Orson Bean