db: Peace comes to Matt Herren

The human condition is a journey we all take, and it is the stories of those journeys that we learn about each other, and ourselves.

“Take it where you find it…”

Dateline: Breakfast at the Classic

“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be.”
Groucho Marx

There is but one story, of our time.

It was the very first story ever written.

It will be the last story ever written.

It is the greatest story we tell.

It is the story of the human condition. 

The epic story, of us. We drew our story on the walls of caves, we wrote it on Papyrus, which is where the word “paper” comes from, we wrote with feathers, we carved the alphabet into blocks of wood and then pressed them onto paper, we sent dots, we sent dashes down a wire, on now electrons turn into words on an invisible Internet.

The story of the human condition is so important that we have sent a time capsule into the universe about, us.

Voyager 1, a space probe launched in 1977, now extends our story further than anything we have ever done, it will reach the Constellation, Camelopardalis, in 40,000 years, on it a golden record of which then President, Jimmy Carter recorded this:

“This is a present from a small, distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours.”

Take this Golden Record to be a declaration, take it to be a cry, a shout to the future that we were once here, please remember us.

Please, tell our story to whomever, to whatever will listen.

It is the story of the human condition, that helps us understand each other, helps us learn from each other, helps us want to help each other, helps us love one another.

We are built to tell each other, to listen to each other’s, stories. And I’m thankful for that, because without this built-in human thing we’ve got, I wouldn’t have heard this:

“At first, when I left my family business to be a professional angler, my father, my father, didn’t support my decision, thought it was kind of stupid I guess, didn’t see what I saw, but then when I fished the Bassmaster Classic in Birmingham my father came up to me, and apologized.”

And then, just as he finished telling me that, a tear rolled down the cheek of Elite Angler, Matt Herren.

Welcome, to the human condition.

“…can’t leave it alone…”

I’m sitting with Matt and his wife, Candy, it’s 8 a.m., breakfast, Matt is pushing around some scrambled eggs on his plate, he’s listening to me tell Candy how this whole story thing started:

Me to Candy:  “So it is media day, Matt had just finished up an interview and as I walk by I say this to him, ‘Hey dude, how are you doing,’ and he says back to me, ‘Great, I’m at peace db,’ at which I stop dead and say back to him, ‘Peace, are you on medication Matt,’ then he says, ‘nope just at peace I decided that for the first time since being a pro I’m going to have fun out here…’ which I say really…”

Matt is done swirling scrambled eggs:  “I am someone you really don’t know, people don’t know, don’t know the real me. What they see of me, is not really me, I’m like a child in heaven out here, they have no idea that I dance and sing in the boat.”

I look straight at Candy Herren, turn my right hand palm up, bow my head and say, “…and that is why we are having breakfast this morning.”

And Candy Herren smiles. As does the man next to her who cocks his head and looks lovingly at his wife of 31 years.

“I have fished all my life, db, in fact when I was little if my father took the boat out without me I would stand there and cry.”

In 2003, Matt left the family Auto Body Shop biz and turned pro, “It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.”

Candy: “I cried for about a day and a half, when we first got married we were so broke we couldn’t afford to have heat in the house, but we were in love.”

Matt: “Life wasn’t a box of chocolate, we had a long hard road, it is all about performance out here, you have to perform.”

Candy: “Cried about a week and a half, finally told Matt, ‘All I have to say if you can’t pay the bills fishing you need to learn to say would you like fries with that order, would you like to Biggie size that.”

Matt gently touches Candy’s arm on the restaurant table. Both, in their minds, float back to those days back then.

Matt: “It was a big undertaking.”

Candy: “I told him I couldn’t live off just love anymore, I needed to keep the house heated.”

“…you will find a purpose to carry it on…”

I’m trying to put hard butter on soft toast when I look up to see Matt’s lower lip quiver, see his eyes tear up.

Didn’t see this one coming, not from Matt, didn’t see it coming. “You okay Matt, you okay, if you want to stop this right now I will, no questions asked, you tell me.”

“I’m okay.”

He wasn’t.

“Oh…kay.”

Nope, I’m not buying it. So I put the toast down, turn the notepad over, move my plate some and lean forward, both forearms flat on the table, my linen napkin falls to the floor.

“I have an angel, a guy at home…”

And suddenly, Matt can no longer speak other than to repeat over a couple of times, “…an angel, an angel, an angel…”

The human condition is defined by words like, Compassion, it doesn’t mention though, Journalism.

This is what I’m going to tell you, a local guy is an angel to Matt, I think the guy may have helped Matt out some, may still do so, I don’t know because I didn’t press it, didn’t push Matt for the answer.

Shoot me.

There are times to push forward for an answer, there are times to lean back, I stood down, stood up for compassion.

Matt Herren is as tough as they come, maybe tougher, but I do know him, I know what I see is not the real Matt, all you need to know is that when Matt talks of his family, his father, his angel, it affects him as it should, as it should any human being in touch with what’s really important.

And at peace, within.

“…mainly, when you find it…”

Take it home Matt, take it home buddy:

“I’m living the American Dream, db, I get to do what I love, make a career out of what I love to do, nuthin’ better than that.”

“Last year after the season was over, it was a long hard struggle for me. One day I’m sitting in my chair at home watching TV and sort of zoned out, started thinking this is stupid, I have a great career but I’ve never ever enjoyed a minute of it. I finally woke up and told myself ‘why don’t you enjoy this,’ start enjoying it.”

“You know, I finally realized, finally realized, I BELONG here, I’m good enough to do this, I’m a hard working, scratch it out guy, I know what I’m doing, I got this, got this.”

“db, I’m at peace, I can have a good time, I finally have the confidence, know I belong, some days will be rough, some days will be good, I may win some, I may lose some, that’s life, and I’m okay with that, I’m okay with people finally seeing the real Matt Herren.”

The human condition is a journey we all take, and it is the stories of those journeys that we learn about each other, and ourselves.

Confidence, brings peace within.

Comes peace to Matt Herren, and with that peace, and with the love of his wife, Candy, and family, with the okay from his father, with the help of an unknown angel, will come the Matt Herren, you’ve never known.

Peace Matt, my friend, greatness awaits.

“…your heart will be strong about it.”
Take It Where You Find It
Van Morrison

db

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