Greetings absolutely awesome Enterprise-Tocsin readers, and thanks for reading my stuff inside the precious pages of The E-T, Mississippi’s magical Mecca of manuscript. As the stranger of Sunflower County that everybody knows, and the Southern, sometimes psychic Shakespearean street prophet of the South, it’s my pleasure to write my story in these precious pages.
Helen Keller, the late, great, blind author, disability rights advocate, political activist, lecturer, and one of most important figures in our shared history, once said “the best and beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart.”
And in the Gospel according to John, Jesus was overwhelmed by emotional sadness seeing his friends Mary and Martha bereaved and weeping over the passing of his dear friend and their beloved brother, Lazarus.
Lazarus had truly been loved by all who knew him, including the Lord.
He was so loved that he received a second chance at life, a welcoming awakening. I too have a hyper-active sensory system that allows me to feel the emotions of others — a condition that causes me to see the magic that’s not on the map.
I’m getting kind of teary eyed while writing these heartfelt memories so, if I hurry up and leave now, I could cry in the car and no one has to ever know how humility-inducing life among friends and family can be.
It’s the summer of 1990 and I’m campaigning for my godfather, the late, great, thenmayoral candidate C.C Self, affectionally known to us as Frank Self.
There’s a big political televised Meet the Candidates forum at the E.E. Bass auditorium. hosted by the Delta’s two television stations, WABG-TV 6 and WXVT-15.
Greenville hadn’t had a political election in seven years and a lawsuit forced a special city election.
Frank’s wife, the late Inge Karen Karlson Self, had bought Frank a new shirt and tie to wear for the event.
However, after a debate between Frank and Inge, Frank compromised and decided to only wear the shirt minus the tie. I was already dressed so while heading out the door, Inge called me back and gave me a container of wet wipes and made me vow to make sure that Frank used them.
While heading to the event driving down Hwy. 82, Frank pulls over to help some ladies whose car had stopped. Frank tells the women to pop the hood and proceeds to inspect the car for the trouble.
Frank then says that he sees the problem, and then does the unthinkable. He crawls under the car to reach something.
I remember Inge’s words and run back to the truck and get the wet wipes and wait for Frank to come out from under the car.
However, as soon as Frank gets from under the car, without thought or hesitation, he wipes his hand on his shirt as if it was a paper towel in a local Double Quick restroom.
I immediately yell “Frank no!” Frank then said, “Doggonit Rodney, you and Inge. If a clean shirt is going to get me votes, I don’t want the job.”
Frank went on to the debate and commanded the stage and won over the crowd and won the election.
I would like to thank my motivational and inspirational coach, Pastor Otha Campbell, who always reminds me that I possess a unique, intrinsic capacity of drawing people into both my writing and conversation with an otherworldly intellectual prowess and sense of humor, which allows people to be inspired, enlightened, enriched and engaged.
Thanks for reading.
