I’M AN ASS!
May 1, 2024
Some people say I am crusty and some say I am tough but a lot of people say or think that I am an ass! Throughout my life there have been many moments when I, along with those around me, thought that I was an ass! Depending on the specific situation, people would add their own personalized adjectives to the word “ass” as they described their perception of my behavior. Words that come to mind include smart, dumb, wise, big, hard, horse’s, hole, cocky, bad, crazy and sorry. I am sure there were others, but I can’t think of them at this moment.
As I look back over my life to try to figure out who I am and how I got to the “crusty” side, I think of many people that could have influenced me. I think about my Puerto Rican mother who had a chip on her shoulder, maybe because she stopped going to school after the third grade, maybe because she got married at age 13 or maybe because she lived in a 1940’s society that was less than kind to people like her. I think about the older men that I worked with in my early teens that survived the Great Depression and wars and were rougher than old corn cobs and didn’t care what they said to people. Maybe it was due to me not being part of the “in club” in my youth but a solid member of the “fight club.”
Thank God most people understand what is in my heart when sometimes the words that I use don’t properly reflect what I mean to say. Believe me, I have been working to correct this all my life.
Over the years I have owned as many as twenty horses and two donkeys. According to at least one dictionary, a donkey and an ass are the same thing. I have dealt with a four-legged ass and have some insight into the creature. I had to demonstrate on more than one occasion to the four-legged creature that the two-legged ass’s intention would prevail. I learned in Sunday school that Jesus rode a colt and he also rode a donkey or ass. I never gave it a great deal of thought as to why he selected each animal. Recently I was reading a study guide covering the book of Genesis and I found it very enlightening. I learned that donkeys were meant to be burden bearers. A horse loves speed; a donkey is made for carrying things. A donkey is focused and sure-footed when it walks on steep trails. Horses sometimes need blinders to keep things from distracting them but a donkey keeps its attention on the trail. A donkey can endure weeks of hard conditions with little rest and a donkey has large ears for elevated listening skills. Some say that a donkey is a humble animal when compared to the strutting, proud horse.
While writing this story I recalled that we used to tie the lead rope on a young horse to our donkey to teach the young horse how to follow the lead rope. I also recalled that there were two reasons why I bought my first donkey or ass. The first reason is that donkeys are territorial and will protect other animals around them. The donkeys would protect young calves or whitetail deer at the ranch from predators. The second reason for the donkey at the ranch was a joke: there was a 50% chance that when I talked about “that ass” people would think I was talking about the donkey and not about my ranch hand. Finally, I also remembered that when my son and daughter were young, I had our ranch hand take them on their horses for a full day ride and they used a pack donkey, complete with a pack rig, to carry their lunches and drinks.
I grew up as a kid watching the cartoon called Popeye the Sailor on black and white television. Popeye would always say “I am what I am, and that’s all that I am. I’m strong to the finish because I eat my spinach, I’m Popeye the sailor man.” Like Popeye, I am what I am. I guess my point in this story is that I must be an ass when it comes to serving God, Country and Family.
Know that since I have many of the characteristics of an ass, consider me a resource to help carry your burdens or just to listen to you. As I often tell people “that’s my job” as I try to live what I profess about trying to make a positive difference. I humbly feel blessed to be the person you call when you don’t know who to call. May I not let anyone down! “HEE HAW, HEE HAW, HEE HAW!”
Written by KING AEROSPACE Founder, Jerry Allan King-Echevarria.