THE MOD SQUAD

The last 4 weeks has been a time of old friendships coming back around again.
There is "Jimi", a buddy from High School who I found recently at NA with 14 years of clean time. He is the same but he is different. He was the Jimi Hendix of LD Bell High School, the only black spot in a sea of white, which made him a real novelty in these parts, and he became a friend, a cohort and back then, seemed to give a carte blanc of coolness to anyone in his proximity.

We used to get high just about everyday together back then, and if we were still in class by lunch, then there was something terribly wrong.
I see him about once a week now, and he is an inspiration to stay clean and sober.
HE IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW TO HAVE 14 YEARS OF CLEAN TIME WITHOUT A SINGLE RELAPSE.

In a meeting a few days ago, near the end of the meeting, someone called on him to share (talk). Jimi usually will talk even without being called on but this day he declined. The dude next to him pokes him in the ribs and says “C’mon, Jimi, go ahead” but Jimi declines again and says in perfect Jimi form
“No, man, I don’t want to mess with anybodies serenity”

I laughed my ass off, partly because it was funny but mostly because he said it just the way he would have said it 35 years ago. Only back then when he said it, he probably had his hand in your pocket, the way he has his in Lisa's here...

LISA, JIMI, AND ME
JANUARY 1975
3rd PERIOD CHEMISTRY CLASS