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"Sometimes Guy"

The German word manchmal means sometimes. I’d never heard a person use this word so much as the preachy, loquacious guy in my German class, who I happened to notice standing behind me at the train station one day.

Almost instantly star-struck by the man I would commonly refer to behind the scenes as Sometimes Guy, I quickly turned around and shuffled a few steps to my left for a better vantage point. I inquisitively peered through the small crowd of commuters and became giddy upon the sight of this uninhibited, rare species: that thick-flowing, dark, brillo-like mane; those copper-brushed, oversized eyeglasses resting on that stout nose; the brown briefcase by his side to compliment the outfit worn— tan blazer, dark blue jeans, and dark-brown fine leather shoes. Never before had I come into contact with an individual who would emulate a reincarnated cross-version of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld and The Doctor from Doctor Who. Indeed, this was a special moment, and a signal, perhaps, to potentially examine my own character to determine whether there really was anything I had in common with the enigmatic Sometimes Guy.

Could I really, truthfully use the word sometimes as often as Sometimes Guy did? On the twenty-minute train ride home, I’d find something of a problem with my potential period of introspection. My issue was this: I didn’t seem to really know much about the man who I’d be using as the benchmark for my analysis. You see, I had only an ostensible impression of this chap as the Sometimes Guy character, with no knowledge of the real man behind the mask. Besides, there was something called a language barrier that kept me from learning what made this guy tick. He spoke far too much German for a level two class, and I understood not nearly enough. By default, my personal study would also lack the authenticity and brutal honesty that is so required. Had I known more about this man, however, would I even have had the stomach to break myself down to the core? There was one thing I knew for sure, though: sometimes was a word he loved; it was his code.

Make no mistake, the raw sighting of this man evoked all kinds of emotions in me. I pondered life as a “sometimes" guy and decided right then and there that I didn’t want to end up like an “always” guy, if even one to begin with. There’s no fun, no excitement, in always doing the same things or being a certain way. Sure, everybody has things they must do, but sometimes in life it really pays dividends to do some things sometimes and other things at other times. For example, sometimes I might act out of line, and other times I’m the nicest guy in the world. I’m not always being a jerk or constantly trying to act like Mr. Rogers. Who needs that? Surely, the world doesn’t.

When I think back, I remember what I understood (through deductive reasoning and intense use of a German-English dictionary) to be Sometimes Guy's daily parables and tales of the happenings in his life. Not a class would go by without him taking center stage as the head chatterbox. And in just about every sentence, he’d throw in a manchmal (sometimes)—without fail. Now, as you can imagine, like anybody, my initial reaction was not one of compassion and understanding: You’ve got to be kidding me. Is he serious? Can’t this guy just give it to us straight? But as time went on, I came to understand the fact that he didn’t have to give it to us straight. His uniqueness lay in the fact that he was throwing every imaginable form of sometimes at us. Indeed, he was teaching us about the power of sometimes.

How can this brilliance be explained, you ask? I'm not quite sure. But I know I like it. And I know it’s the way I choose to be. Because there are so many different things I like to do sometimes, or sometimes like to do. The list goes on and on, and that makes me proud.

So if I had to put the pieces together, I’d say it all comes back to Sometimes Guy. I really think he enlightened me in his own ridiculous way. Actually, I'm positive of it, since I prefer to live my life by a sometimes code. And while there will only be one original Sometimes Guy, the world truly has room for many more followers. And sometimes, just sometimes, that ain't such a bad thing.

Comments

Hello @Cloudyskies. We haven't heard from you in a long time...I hope all is OK.

Well, perhaps his secret was actually in those dark brown, expensive leather shoes. Santa's coming, so perhaps that's what you've been wanting (and on sale somewhere!) Give it a try. Yours, Lenora
 
Soooooooo good to see you back :woot::woot::woot::woot: :thumbsup::thumbsup: !!! Your blog posts are like shiny little mini travelogues thru space and time, and offering up alternate views and insights for those of us who spend an inordinate amount of time within the usual four walls ......

And, you know, "sometimes" we all have to step back for awhile and let the waters settle .... :thumbsup::thumbsup: :hug::hug:
 
Soooooooo good to see you back :woot::woot::woot::woot: :thumbsup::thumbsup:!!! Your blog posts are like shiny little mini travelogues thru space and time, and offering up alternate views and insights for those of us who spend an inordinate amount of time within the usual four walls ......

And, you know, "sometimes" we all have to step back for awhile and let the waters settle .... :thumbsup::thumbsup: :hug::hug:
You’re very kind, Yippee. Thank you!
 
Yo, back among the living, sort of , maybe, Sometimes along with the rest of us I suppose.
Sometimes-guy could be better than Never-guy, and perhaps less annoying than Always-guy, but if he is always Sometimes-guy then he certainly must be related to Always-guy, just in a different sort of way, sometimes. o_O
 
Yo, back among the living, sort of , maybe, Sometimes along with the rest of us I suppose.
Sometimes-guy could be better than Never-guy, and perhaps less annoying than Always-guy, but if he is always Sometimes-guy then he certainly must be related to Always-guy, just in a different sort of way, sometimes. o_O
🤣😂
 

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Cloudyskies
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