Imagine If You Will…

by Ed Meyer

posted on May 30, 2019 in Blogroll, General Discussion, Horse Racing, WinningPonies.com | No Comments >>

 

 

We all have a person in our lives who’s a few cards short of a deck. They see beauty where others can’t. – They may be a little out there, but one thing is for certain they aren’t boring.

A good friend of mine has rekindled my love of the old Twilight Zone re-runs. – I have a stack of favorites, but if I had to watch one every night it would be “The Last Night of a Jockey.” – Not being a spoiler, but it was about a washed-up jockey getting his wish while waiting for the results of a race-fixing hearing. – Mickey Rooney played it to the letter. Maybe it’s the gambling, the worry, or the reflection. But it’s one of my favorites.

Back to my friend. – He loves to talk about dreams, old stories, and tales of the one that got away in between races. His gambling life was an outlet. If I told you he was an engineer you’d probably have me hauled away by the silly police. – Some tales would captivate your attention, and others just played in the background. – On this day he asked me a favor. – ” Do me a solid and come up with something a little out there next time we meet. Maybe a story, or something that happened to you at the track. But the next time we see each other it’s your turn.”

I saw him a few weeks ago. – I didn’t even shake his hand when he asked me if I had a good story for him? – “Yeah, but it’s not a story. It’s a decision.” – Go ahead and fire away. I await the question, my friend.

You are in a room. I bring in a phone and tell you I have two numbers, but you can only call one. You may call the younger you to give some advice about things to steer clear or a path you should take. – The other, it’s an older version of you. You may ask if you’re happy, did you take a wrong turn, or what can you do to get the most from your journey.” 

He sat back and quietly applauded. – ” Good job, my friend. You’ve given me something to think about. Not sure I’ll have the answer the next time we meet as it deserves some deep thought.” 

Upon our next meeting, he said he still didn’t have an answer. – “It’s just too damn tough. Do I tell the younger me what to stay away from, or do I ask the older version what can I do to be happy when I get there. I just don’t know.” 

Maybe one of the most interesting race track characters I’ve known. We didn’t have that close-knit feeling as I’ve had with others, but his deep thinking has always intrigued me. – He loves his exacta boxes and occasional pick-six wagers. – Always looking for the big score and sitting alone. – I seem to run into him every time I’m at the races, and maybe he’ll have an answer for me one day. – Either way, he makes a day at the races interesting.