This here a picture of myself and my good friend Johnny on St. Patrick’s day. I was working as a DJ at a local club that night. The story I am about to tell you serves as an example of several things. First, how small indeed the world is today. Second, how foolish things like racism and prejudice are. Third and finally, the benefits of being nice and sociable.
The back story is as follows. Johnny is a good friend of my lady, Margie. He has been a regular performer at her shows for quite some time. Before I met Johnny, Margie told me, “I think you are really going to like this guy.” She was indeed correct. Before I had the chance to discover that, however, there was some waiting involved. The reason for this waiting was due to the fact that Johnny lives in Mexico and only comes to visit at most a few times a year.
Through the last couple of visits he has read a lot of my writing and has found some things he can relate to. In fact, recently he has shared my book with people in the great state of Texas as well as other places. He has offered some very insightful feedback that has caused my writing to develop in ways it may not have otherwise. We have had some great discussions including sitting down for breakfast recently. These conversations has given birth to some great ideas that have been on this blog site and in my next book.
Speaking of books, recently Johnny has informed me that he is working on a book himself. He shared the plot with me and I must confess it sounds like a great story. I’ll update details as the situation develops. We discussed writing styles, publishing ins and outs as well as other ideas. There is no doubt his book will be a success. It is in a totally different genre than I write, but we certainly had a lot to discuss as the process and struggles of writing are the same regardless of content.
Johnny’s creativity is not limited to being a potential best-selling author. He also has several CDs available on cdbaby.com just search ‘Johnny L’. The style of his music is also something I am a fan of, classic standards from Elvis to Frank Sinatra. If you are a fan of this music or just great talent in general, I highly recommend giving him a listen.
The point of this post is several fold. If I were to make a sweeping judgment about people from the great country of Mexico I might not have the great benefits that my friendship with Johnny provides. If both Margie and I were not outgoing and genuinely friendly to the people at our shows Johnny would not have spent the time to become friends with us either. If it wasn’t for technology communication between all of us would be limited to just those few times a year. Whether you are from Mexico, Jamaica or Fiji shouldn’t matter. It is how you treat people and what you can bring to their lives. Technology is not limited by borders or culture, neither should your friendship be.
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 
I grew up on the south side of Milwaukee, with most of my years in Bay View. When I married in 1967, my husband and I stayed on the south side. Then in 1977, we bought a house on Milwaukee’s racially diverse north west side. Our home was just a couple blocks from the Westlawn Housing Project. Although we were both raised on the south side of Milwaukee, we wanted our daughter to be raised in a diverse area. She was 4 years old when we bought that first house and had my husband not passed away, I’d probably still be living there.
We can blame the media for the explosion of racism in our cities. How often do you see anything positive about African Americans on the news? Hardly ever! Do we ever hear anything positive about Hispanics or Asians? I don’t!
Remember folks, no matter what race you are, we all have red blood! We are all humans! Treat others, as you wish to be treated!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am glad you grasped the true meaning of what this post was all about. Those who eliminate people from their lives based on social, racial or any other generality end up missing several great gifts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They certainly do! My hubby is part Seminole Indian and embraced much of the culture with his beadwork and jewelry. His father’s mother was African American and married the Seminole Native. He said he can barely remember his great grandmother with her hair in braids and beadwork, rocking in a chair outside her teepee. My 1st cousin on my mother’s side is married to a man from Mexico. It’s beautiful visiting and seeing all the colorful hand woven blankets and their native pottery. There is so much to learn from all cultures. It should brings us all together to learn from each other.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wait a minute! I know that fellow! I saw him on a wanted poster: Wanted for making beautiful music in two countries, that is. I have his CDs and his music is really enjoyable. Especially the old school classics. Incidentally, he gave me your book Neil and I’m halfway through it and I’ve already put into practice some of your suggestions.
LikeLiked by 2 people