We Gotta Go For All We Know
Discover more from For Lack of a Wetter Bird
We Gotta Go For All We Know
An old story, a NEW book, and a visit to Stankonia.
“Good things may come to those who wait, not to those who wait too late…” - Bill Withers
I had to be like 12. Definitely wasn’t more than 14, and certainly older than 11. Ok, let’s lock it in at 13.
I had to be like 13.
It was park league baseball, and my good team from the season before had combined with another good team, with the idea that we’d form a great team and win it all that year.
Anywho, it was the top of the season, and like any high level business merger, there was some shuffling at the top. Coaches, players, jersey numbers, everything. Even the lineups.
For example, the first game of the season, I noticed immediately I was playing 2nd Base. Now normally, I played shortstop, but I understood there would be some shuffling; no biggie.
And of course, I wanted to know where I was batting in the order. Boom - LEAD OFF (just like I always did for my old team). A sense of normalcy for me, which was great. However, I was unsettled internally for whatever reason, and my mind began to race ...
“This isn’t my team, are we sure this is okay?”
”What if I get up there and make the first out of the season? That’d be lame AF.”
“I mean, why would they let ME bat first? Let the dude that’s playing shortstop bat first, he may be better anyway?”
Imposter syndrome. I walked right up to the coach moments before it was time to start the first inning:
“Hey Coach, I have an idea. Maybe instead of batting lead off, I could maybe bat somewhere else. Like maybe 2nd or somewhere… else?”
He looked down at my 13 year-old self with a look that said “sure, Troy... no problem”. But I was a dead man.
He immediately went to the lineup and moved me down. And then down again, and then down again. And all the way down, one rung at a time, until I was batting dead last.
“No that’s not what I mea—”
PLAY BALL?! 🤨
He must’ve sensed my fear. It was time to teach me a lesson.
Needless to say I was distraught. Regretful. Embarrassed. Angry. You name it.
I looked over to my Dad, the new 3rd base coach of this super team, and all he could do was shake his head. He couldn’t help me this time.
“The hell type of shit was this?!” I thought. I responded with anger, because that’s what happens when you can’t process fear.
I fought the fear of feeling like an imposter at the top of the lineup, and ended up replacing it with anger and regret, looking up from the bottom of the lineup.
Never again. It was a dubious start to the season, at best.
I spoke to that coach several years later, as a grown up, and he was surprised I remembered the story.
“Look, I made the lineup, that wasn’t your job; all you had to do was hit when it was your turn at the plate”, he said.“You can’t call your own shots all the time, you don’t always get to pick your moment.”
Bullseye.
“And I bet your ass never did nothing like that again, now, did you?”
I’m going to let y’all answer that one.
That’s why I led this piece with that Bill Withers quote up there.
“Good things may come to those who wait; not to those who wait too late…”
But perhaps, the next line is the best part…
“… we gotta go for all we know.”
Annnd, that’s where we pick up today.
Well, more like a few months ago. I’d been preparing a written series for the site about a weird time in my life where I didn’t have a place to call home.
I wasn’t homeless, per se. More like home less, meaning I was simply doing my best to get by, and thought it’d be good to tell the story.
And oh, the stories I had were flowing out! I noticed they were funny, pretty inspiring, and all had a nice little rhythm to ‘em. Each packed a unique punch that was unlike the others, and I felt I had something.
I dug into my own pockets to hire an artist, a layout designer, an editor, made a hosting website, etc. And then… I decided to create a cute little ebook.
“Yes, this is perfect. Let me go ahead and put these little stories out so I can hurry up and get to the next thing.”
“Well it’s good that this is only just an ebook; not like I won’t make another, better, more awesome book one day. Let’s just stick with this approach for right now.”
“I mean, people don’t read that much any way, right? I might as well save some time and money, just make a quick lil’ ebook and be done with it. I’d hate to spend money on this and it fail.”
It wasn’t until about 2 months in, with questions just like that, that I felt a familiar tinge. That 13 year-old ball player had shown up, and I caught his little ass just in time.
I halted production on the ebook at the end of 2022. If I was going to do this, I needed to DO it.
So, as of its release earlier this week, Home Less in Dallas is available in hardback, paperback, and an audio book (soon to come). It’s available for sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and you can also order a signed copy directly from me with THIS LINK.
There will be a book signing in a few weeks, some live readings, along with some podcast appearances. Why? Because, just maybe… it’s my turn at the plate.
Or like my man Tom Diamond told me at the wing shack the other day “you gotta squeeze EVERY lemon…”
Or like Bill Withers said “we gotta go for all we know.”
So, without further ado, my new book, Home Less in Dallas is out now. It’s a collection of true, short, original stories (not so different from the one above) that were written to entertain, inspire, and relish in the notion that every setback deserves a comeback. I’m here to do it right this time… The FIRST time.
For Lack of a Wetter Bird, go for ALL you know.
HID is the 2nd book released under the Grits & Gospel media imprint (Vol 1: Soul Fuel, 2018).
Coolest Thing I Saw This Week…
My Top 5 All-Time Outkast Songs:
Elevators (Me & You)
Aquemini
Synthesizer
Ain’t No Thang
Mighty “O”