Tagged For A Meme! Jungle Boy--Mike in Tucson

I got Memed!  Mike Mueller, a lender in California, notified me with a single word:  "Sorry."  He's a great lender.  Go check him out.

That smiling fellow on the left is not Mike Mueller.  It's a Three Toed Sloth from the jungles of Suriname, South America.  Top speed:  .15 mph  But I digress...

If you are new to Active Rain, you'll find that Meme themes make you smile.  Just hit the "Search" button up there, type in "meme," and be prepared to spend an hour learning about your AR neighbors. 

So:  5 things no one knows about Mike in Tucson... 

Meme Subtitle:  Things I learned as a teenager in the Rain-forest of South America where my family lived with the Tirio Indians . 

1.  I learned that while life is a lot of fun (you can't look at that sloth without smiling back,) we live in a dangerous world.  I learned that a man's first responsiblity in life is to care for and protect his family.  I've never forgotten the lesson.  I was at the World Trade Center when the bomb went off in the basement in 1993.

We lived 350 miles back in the rain-forest, between the river and a grass airstrip.  The only contact with the outside world was by two-way radio.  Once a month, we would be visited by a jungle pilot bringing necessary stuff.  And mail!  It's important to keep in touch.

2. I learned that you eat what's put in front of you.  The word "delicious"means different things to different people.  "Tika-tineh" was the closest word in the language for delicious.  It meant "with fat."  Without sufficient fat in your diet, you'll die.  This man is eating a grub not unlike the ones in your lawn, except that this one's the size of a golf ball.  The skin gets discarded. I won't elaborate further.

The grubs are found in the heart of a certain palm. If you find one, you'll find eight or ten, and everyone stops what they're doing for a quick snack--roasted grub. Nutrition is where you find it.

3.  I learned that you can stand in a canoe to avoid the rocks while navigating down a rapids.  People find this hard to believe.  Look at a skateboarder, though, or a snowboarder, and you'll see the same sense of balance.  You can stand when the world seems to be shifting beneath your feet.  It's been a good life lesson.

4.  I learned that particular skills must be mastered in order to succeed in life.  An old Indian man taught me how to fletch an arrow in such a way that it would fly straight and true.  And the little yellow feathers?  They're just the artist's signature. 

5.  I learned to enjoy the exquisite beauty of God's natural world.  45 years later, I'm enjoying my childhood all over again, thanks to these old photos.  What memories are you making this week that will be indelible in your child's mind?

We in the Active Rain community are focused on the world of real estate.  It's such a narrow focus that we risk losing sight of the real world--the world of beauty and wonder that needs to be shared with our children, and our grandchildren. 

To my readers, thank you!  I'm looking forward to getting to know you better.  Three of you are about to get Meme'd!

Copyright Michael W. Jones
photos courtesy of my friend & contemporary, Joe Hill,
who worked with my Dad in literacy and translation in Suriname, South America

I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.
 
Think of me as your local expert.