I’m a starting to feel a bit like Charles Kuralt.  “And tonight…. here is  another story from ‘On The Road’ …..”

But here I am, you see.   It happened again.  Out on my walk… on that quiet exploration.  A different road this time. Tonight.

I was walking along…. adding sevens and eights in my head and dividing them by four…. while singing songs from West Side Story.

In between verses of “When You’re a Jet”…. I heard a faint little hum.  I listened more closely.  And again…

“Oh…. I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener…. that is what I truly want to bee–eeee–eeee….”

I looked down, and there was a Wooly Worm.   He was singing at the top of his little Wooly Worm lungs.

“Hey little dude.  What gives?”  I asked.
“I want to be anyone but a wooly worm.  Right now, I am trying to look exactly like this wispy wild weed.”
“Well, you are doing a great job Wooly.   But why?  Why don’t you want to be you?”
“Well.  No matter WHAT color we are… we get blamed for the winter weather…. by someone.  And we don’t have crap to do with it.  People are hateful about it…. and the whole thing is an old wive’s tale.  Those haters even try to run over us with their cars… and step on us…. just because of our color….”
“Doesn’t sound quite fair Wooly.”
“It isn’t by golly.  It shouldn’t matter what we look like on the outside.  People should just get to know us for the Wooly Worms we are.  Some of us are good.  Some bad.  But for crying out loud…. don’t just assume we are bad because of the wools we wear…..”
“Well said little dude. Well said.”
“Thanks.  I could go on… take Dancers for instance.  Just because you are a dancer… it doesn’t make you bad or good.  It is all about HOW you dance.  Like…..  this thing Twerking… BAD.  Tap Dancing… GOOD.”
“Nicely said once again.  Hey. Wooly?  I think you should just keep being who you truly are.  Be the good little Wooly-Wools-Dude … let your light shine through…   AND…  people will see you for the love and goodness in your heart.  At least… the smart ones will.”
“Thank you, big ugly human.”
“You are quite welcome Wools. Quite.”