A Heart Felt Thank You Story: Witches to Angels

The teeny tiny puppy and I were on our usual daily walk, not to be confused with one of our unusual walks. Silly Lily likes to sniff around the park which, for me, being able to walk to the park is a blessing as this time last year I wasn't able to walk that far, complications from arrhythmia and peripheral vascular disease.

Most mornings I don't feel like walking or exercising at all. I never really was the workout kind of guy, guess I was too busy rehearsing music and partying. When you have a little furry ham jumping around on your chest, snuggling in your beard and sticking her little dog butt in your mouth resistance is futile and damn it! It's good for me so I acquiesce to the cuteness.

Patience is not something a nearly 2 y/o puppy has very much of as she runs in circles around me, yapping excitedly as I gather up all the "necessary" crap that we need. The wife has a handy dandy, 25lb. "puppy bag" for a 4.5lb. dog with all the shit you could possibly need to hike through the desert. I cram a couple of poop bags and some tissue in my pocket, make sure I have something to smoke along the way and we're off.

I do find our morning walks an opportune time to think about things like how to best navigate this world. I find as I've gotten older a desire to try to be a kinder person. There's so much more obvious, wanton disregard for our fellow species it seems. I'm not going to try explain it but it makes me sad to see humans forgetting that we're ALL human. Passing on unkindness breeds even more unkindness.

That's why I try to be an entertainer.

People fighting the crowds at the airport, setting in bumper to bumper traffic sometimes for hours and when they finally get here it takes a while for them to decompress and get into "island mode." You can always spot someone fresh from the mainland. That "stick up the butt" posture, impatiently speaking at 200MPH, the jitters, nervousness, worst of all, that nasty attitude... Man! Am I glad I LIVE here.

At any rate, Teeny Tiny puppy dog and I were walking back from the park. You would be amazed at how far those 3" legs can go, moving in a blur like the legs on those little birds that run from the surf on the beach. I find this a good time to communicate with the universe and ask for the energy and focus I need to help people forget about the negativity and madness of the mainland and help them find respite on our little island south of reality.

Little Lil was startled by some kind of critter causing a raucous in the tree along the path and as we were both looking to see what the commotion could be, an angelic voice said, "Hi, are you Luke?" I turned to find an attractive young woman, usually I wouldn't have admitted to being me until after I found out who they were and what they wanted, but I was disarmed by her kind energy and friendly smile.

"Yes, I'm Luke," I responded, hoping I didn't just open the door to an ass chewing. Being me has always required the ability to take an ass chewing or whipping when it comes to cases. She explained that she was from "THE WITCHES RIDE," and informed me I was the beneficiary of the "ride" this year.

I was stunned and too overwhelmed emotionally to respond as she passed me an envelope. She gave me a much needed hug and headed back to her car. Cool things like that seem to happen when I need it most in this life.

Tears streamed down my face, Teeny Tiny puppy and I headed down our street and our neighbor friends passing by in their car stopped to say, "Hello," but I couldn't speak. I just handed them the envelope to read. I'm not sure exactly what they said as I was still processing, I need one of those spinning beach balls above my head when I'm thinking because smoke doesn't come out of my ears anymore as I'm "burnt out."

The Witches do a fund raiser every year around Halloween called "The Witches Ride." They raise money to benefit people in our community. It has grown exponentially every year since its inception. It has grown beyond just a local event. It attracts visitors from around the world who make it a part of their vacation. The participants have a great time while doing great things for our community.

The Ralphie Walk, a.k.a the 'Pink Bra poker pub crawl, held in early February, is another fun event that has turned into a yearly juggernaut in the UK, Upper Keys. Stop by The Catch (MM102) or The Caribbean Club (MM104) in Key Largo, FL to find out more about these fun events.

May I be a reflection of the kindness shown to me. Peace and Love!