I never thought in my travels that I would get to meet any of the upper crust of society. For the most part during this journey I have been rubbing elbows with the marginalized, the homeless, the downtrodden or individuals working at the grass roots / street levels grinding it out and trying to make a difference in the world. It didn’t seem to plausible that I would be shaking hands with movers and shakers like politicians while working in a soup kitchen or on a horse rescue farm…but isn’t that the great thing about life – you just never know!
A couple weeks ago I was fortunate enough to have been invited by my teammates at Men With Heart to visit the State House for a presentation the group was making and to accept an award presented by the Governor. As if I would miss the opportunity…so I dug to the bottom of my backpack unfolded that one good pair of dress pants I packed a year ago, unfurled the dress shoes I shoved into a shaving kit bag and ironed my new bright yellow Men with Heart t-shirt. Guess I didn’t pack everything I needed as I had no black socks and there is no time to make my daily stop at Marshall’s…white Nike ankle socks with dress pants is a sweet look Napolean!
Day of the big show and I can`t flag a cab so decide to hoof it down, afterall Boston is the walking city and I am sporting the jock socks. BAAAAD idea! Hottest and most humid day of the year and I have not worn dress shoes in a year, especially ones that have been rolled into a ball since the Olympics. I arrive at the General Hookers entranceway of the State House soaked to the bone…went over real well with the Homeland Security folks doing screenings at the front door. If you have known me for a while you know my outstanding track record with security checks and customs officials. Thanks to my Men With Heart t-shirt I was given a pass but I am almost certain I had a shadow for the rest of the visit.
Four flights of stairs later (and of course I am lugging my napsack full of computer gear, cameras, change of clothes etc.) I arrive at the conference room looking like I just played 20 minutes of full court press with Rajon Rondo. To make matters worse, the old State House is just that – old! As historic and majestic as it is there is no A/C…awesome!
Well, the team from MWH give their presentation (outstanding job boys!) and then receive two Citations from the Governor. A very touching moment actually as it should be. MWH are an amazing group of individuals and are doing incredible things to motivate people in joining in on the fight against breast cancer.
Time to shake hands and partake in the photo ops with the Governor. By this time I have had to put on my Red Sox cap to act like a headband. My hair has not really come back like I would have hoped since shaving my head at the St. Baldrick’s event; the water just cascades off the d0me these days. So it’s my turn to shake hands with the big cheese and with beads of sweats streaming down my back and off my nose I give him the big slippery wet one…and to really add insult to grossness I spit out, “Ello Govna” like I am reciting dialogue from some Guy Ritchie film. Nice one Trav! I already feel like a heel then he retorts with, “A little nervous today son?” before wiping his hand off on his pants and bolting for the door.
Ha! Oh well…at least I was able to see the MWH presentation, got to see the inside of the State House and can boast that I was the Reverend who ‘greased’ the Governor. Tomorrow I am hitting Marshall’s and stocking up on black socks and sweatbands just in case I get to hob knob with the who’s who down the road.
Congratulations to the Men With Heart team!