The Discus Thrower
A Quirky Place to Live
I met my friend Chuck when we were just six months old - our mothers introduced us. We grew up on a peninsula - me in the cove, bay side, Chuck on the chaussée, lakeside. That was nearly 50 years ago. Life on the point was very isolated. I kept myself busy with a number of solitary pastimes: sailing, rowing and boating, angling, drawing, writing, draining jump shots, inhaling books, plying the lake, biking, soccer ball juggling... and throwing the discus - an Illig tradition.Quirky, but GoodI threw a number of different discuses over the years but the one I preferred was made of wood and steel - handed down to me from my older brother who'd received it from our father. I threw that discus until it shattered on the pavement the day I threw it beyond the confines of the field I trained in. Just before my 49th birthday I received an overnight package from New Mexico where Chuck now practices law. In it I found two items, Chuck's business card with a quick note scrawled on the back and a dilapidated wood and metal discus. Although the discus in the package lacked the intricate etchings of my discus, and looked plucked from a flea market table, I recognized it immediately as similar to the one I'd thrown forty years ago (see above). A quirky gift, but good. I've been replaying memories of throwing that thing ever since.A History of Quirky GivingIncidentally - regarding that soccer juggling mentioned above - though I've never played soccer I could keep a ball off the ground for over 200 kicks, chests, heads and knees before dropping it.
For a wedding present Chuck gave my wife and I, a soccer ball.
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