217 (Step Right Up)

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIt was something my dad said as we pulled into the church parking lot one Sunday morning. He said, and this might not be exactly what he said, but it’s close:[Dad’s voice here] “I have found that the number 217 pops up often in my life.”That stuck with me. And it’s been nearly 50 years butit still sticks with me. It sticks with me the same way Tom Waits singing huckster slogans -- like a crazed Louis Armstrong --has stuck with me since some other Sunday morning when “Step Right Up” was playing on the radio as we pulled into that same church parking lot.Or maybe Dad said the 217 thing on the same Sunday morningas Tom Waits was singing “Step Right Up” on the radioas we pulled into that church parking lot.That’s entirely possible.Because Dad and Tom Waits both possess a certain wisdom, you know?The kind of wisdom you might not get in churchon certain Sunday mornings.Anyway, it’s funny how these things stick with you. And maybe…just maybe…It’s the cool little things that stick with youover the course of your lifetimethat can help unstick youwhen you’re feeling stuck. [Tom Waits’ voice here] Step right up…step right up…step right up…

~217~