Dick's Blog
Memoir Updates – "Walking with Clowns"
This is the first of many updates on stories and essays from my two memoirs "Hiking Out" and "Inside and Outside" both available as e-books and paperbacks from Amazon.
My story Walking with Clowns from my memoir "Hiking Out" is a celebration of 30 years of winter mountain snowshoeing camaraderie. This year we sadly lost two devoted Clowns, both unexpectedly before they could even enjoy retirement, the first to heart problems and the second to pancreatic cancer. The first, I eulogized in a previous blog "Has Anyone Seen My Old Friend Jon – In Memorium". The second is characterized in the following description from Walking with Clowns. "Our resident radiologist, also from Eastern Europe and Tony's devoted friend, will be there, I suspect with another tribute. He will probably bring his red Styrofoam stick-on noses again which we all must wear, or hurt his feelings too." He was one of our most enthusiastic Clowns, supplying the super sized 25th and 30th anniversary Clown banners which are displayed at all our annual gatherings.
On the bright side, in February 2010, the Clowns celebrated their 36 annual winter weekend expedition to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. My grandson, then age 16, a very resilient and courageous young man, and like my brother and son, one of my life and hiking heroes, accompanied us. At the time he was a junior in high school and a 6' 2'' varsity volleyball player. He is the first third generation hiker of our group. Now nineteen, he is still taller, an avid and even stronger hiker than his grandpa, a budding chef, and a sophomore in college majoring in science and biology with a dream of a career in cancer medicine.
Next February 2014, will be our 40th reunion of Clowns. Once a Clown, always a Clown, no matter where you are. Dearly departed, you will be with us again on this special weekend. We pray for your souls, and we pray for snow!
Dick Sederquist
Head Clown 1 or 2
My friend Larry and I, who are original Clowns, share the title of Head Clown and can't decide who should be number 1 or number 2.
Welcome to my web site. I hope my stories for the week will tweak your interest. My subjects and writing style are much like the stories and essays in my two memoirs. Look at the table of contents for both books and see what I write about. I have something for everyone. I’d love to hear your critiques, responses, suggestions and interests. I’m at the time and place in my life where my focus is on giving back and helping others. As a volunteer motivational speaker for the Connecticut Department of Correction, I conduct an ongoing discussion program for inmates in a medium security prison on improving communication skills and developing life coping strategies. Having suffered major depression and loss of hope in my life, I can relate to those who are at their lowest point and have lost their hope. Although a few of my stories have hiking themes, these are not my principal focus. Hiking is a metaphor of how I go through life, exploring and meeting challenges. Being a hiker does give me a unique perspective in appreciating the good things in people and the beauty around us in the world.
Of all places, I was sitting on the pot. The phone rang. I didn’t have my glasses on, so I couldn’t see the number on the caller ID. Oh well! I picked up. Like SETI, the “Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence”, you never know what signal may come in from outer space. It was Darlene, who I don’t know from Adam. It was a wrong number, but the right message, from a very lonely person. Call it providence. I was a little blue, my back has been giving me fits, but this made my day. As a writer, I have been suffering from a little writer’s block, with good and bad ideas fleeting thorough my head, looking for an opening. Hello Darlene! What a great conversation. You turned me on. Here is my response:
Darlene said she was very lonely, had lost her husband about a year and a half ago. She really missed him, and was wondering about the purpose of her life. She had recently moved from Connecticut to Florida to the Villages. I’ve been there, 100,000 people and growing.
“Darlene! How in the world did you come up with my area code?” She said she kept the old one from Connecticut on her cell phone. Midway though our conversation, the connection broke. I’m talking into mid-air
Ring-Ring, she’s back. Hi Darlene! I’m getting her life story. The funny thing is I’m really enjoying this conversation. I tell her about my prison program and my web site. Buy my book! She doesn’t have a computer, but she goes to the library, which has one. She tells me about a relative, age 45, who has had his problems with the law. She is looking for a purpose in life. She is 68 years old and having trouble with her equilibrium. What do you share with strangers? I feel like her friend. I tell her, there is nothing better to do in life, to find purpose, than helping others, like I do in my prison ministry. She tells me there is an opportunity to help others though a local telephone help line. She sounds optimistic that she can help. The conversation ends. I hope I made her day. She certainly has made mine.
This is like a gift out of the blue. We’re all looking for instant gratification. We have a medical test result due next week. We can’t wait to get this behind us. We wish it was next week, already. If I close my eyes and make it next week, I will miss a whole week of my life. So, we have to be patient and not wish our lives away. Darlene wants it to be better. She’s impatient, maybe at wits end. She makes a wrong number phone call, and someone tells her that there are people out there that care about her. They tell her that there is something to do about her loneliness, like get involved. There are friends there in the Villages. I, who get down in the dumps myself, find myself giving advice which I never heed. Listen to your message and believe it for yourself. Darlene, you are helping me see the light as well. She has my number. She may call back. She’s already called back once. Any time, Darlene, I’m here for you. Her number is probably on my caller ID list. I’ll resist the temptation. She sought me out, even though she didn’t know what she would get. She got a little comfort and advice. I got more than I ever expected from a wrong number. The only thing is, if I’m going to be running a help line, I better change my office location.