I just read an excellent book excerpt, LUCKY ME, by Rich Paul, LeBron James’ agent. Paul was reselling high-end jerseys and athletic shoes from the trunk of his car when he met LeBron. The result of that chance meeting benefited both of their lives.
What impressed me was how Paul actually made his own luck. He was brilliant, creative, a risk-taker, and an extremely hard worker. Of course the meeting with LeBron was serendipitous, but Paul’s work-ethic and natural creativity attracted LeBron. It would have attracted anyone.
It also brought to mind my college years when I spent two summers driving up and down the east coast selling battery cables and ignition wire sets to gas stations. Now in the age of electric vehicles, no one needs wire sets and battery cables because they don’t exist on electric cars. Nevertheless, back in the sixties, they were hot items.
Lucky for me, my dad had a very small wire company and he sold me the merchandise at his cost. I’d go from station to station, encourage the owner to walk out to my old Plymouth convertible, open the trunk, and give him a deal he couldn’t refuse. 20% off if he bought a dozen or more cables or wire sets. I’d stay overnight in cheap motels and keep going till my trunk was empty. Then I’d drive back to Philly, reload, and do it all again.
I remember those early years with fondness. I loved cars and I still love them. I loved hanging out with guys who worked on them. I loved driving up through the small Jersey beach towns with my top down, looking for my next sale. I’d stop for lunch at a roadside place for a burger, or a shake, or just about anything. In the evenings I’d meet kids my age, have a few beers, sometimes when I was lucky a pretty girl, and look forward to my next day and my next adventure.
If there were a way to load up the trunk of my car with LITTLE ITALY and PATIENT X and hit the road I’d do it in a second. 20% off if you buy a dozen or more! What a deal!
Thanks for reading. Art
#mystery, #romance, #suspense, #psychiatrist, #Richpaul, #LeBron, #LITTLEITALY, #author, #PATIENTX,
Inside The Mind of a Psychiatrist 