You know that scene in Fight Club where Edward Norton's character goes into his inner-cave and he sees a penguin, his "power animal"? I loved that scene, especially when the penguin says "slide."
Last night i wasn't feeling well and couldn't get to sleep. When i finally slept i dreamt of Mr. Finn. I don't exactly remember the details of the dream but i know it was something along the lines of the Fight Club penguin saying "slide." Only my power animal instead of being the penguin, was Finn.
It's weird to admit that your "power animal"was your ninth grade English teacher. Weird but true, he was adored by me (and probably by the rest of the school). I had a special relationship with Finn (not that kind of relationship!). Whenever i was miserable (which was often in high school, but lets face it who wasn't) he was able to somehow make me feel a little less pathetic. Here's an illustration of what a mensch he was:
When his nephew was diagnosed with cancer and lost all his hair, Finn in solidarity shaved his head. I can understand if Finn was some young guy but Finn was in his late 40's and from what i hear didn't look that good with a bald head. And when my dad passed away Finn was one of the two teachers who came and actually sat shiva with us. There are many other stories that i can tell about Finn, like how he can make you feel like an intimate friend after just talking to him for a few minutes, how he didn't patronize the students he taught, how he allowed me to be his friend even when he had no time for another student seeking a mentor. Overall an amazing guy.
This morning when i awoke with puffy eyes and feeling sore i had to smile knowing Mr. Finn was out there enjoying his retirement and making the world just a little bit easier to live in.
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