They say a race of giants
were on the earth before the great flood they called these giants
Gibborim. I would like to have seen these guys I would like to known just
how big these giants were. Be that as it may I still believe giants
roam the earth and every once in a while I am fortunate enough to sit
beside one in my day-to-day life. One such giant in my life is a guy
named Mr. Riggle-- Mr. Riggle, of course has a first name but that's
not important at least not to me. Mr. Riggle is a person with a
severe disability, college graduate and an employee of a local
private nonprofit agency. Salt Lake that provides quasi-legal
services for people with disabilities. Mr. Riggle is a policy wonk,
this guy eats drinks and sleeps policy on every level. I think he's
brilliant the Utah treasure sorry to say I think I am one of the few
people who recognizes that he is the treasure he is.
I've known Mr. Riggle for
five years now maybe a little longer I first ran into him I think on
the train. I think he was kind of drifting at the time, kid gotten
his degree and was out bounced around the community trying to find
work or better yet trying to find someone who would hire him in a
real-life job. I doubt I had anything to do with the the like to
think that I did, I did speak to a few folks here and there. I
noticed soon after Mr. Riggle begin to show up at some of the state
Council and Board meetings that I was attending. For as I tended to
show up to these meetings to sample whatever lunch stuffs were
available Mr. Riggle jumped in to any and all discussions with gusto,
intelligence and the focus to accomplish a goal, his goal. I don't
know why from the onset we addressed each other by our surnames Mr.
Smith and Mr. Riggle it just seemed right. Mr. Riggle has cerebral
palsy which is pretty involved, please is a power chair from ability,
pretty fast chair that. I'm pretty sure he has attended care who
dresses him give be very difficult, for instance, for Mr. Riggle to
put on or take off his own jacket which means he never wears a coat.
Whereas I dress my huge white coat once the temperature drops Mr.
Riggle never wears a coat are hardly ever. I see that subzero
outside my window snow on the ground or snow flying and the lookup
and see Mr. Riggle' zip past my window going to meeting in my
building. Here we are on many of the same committee still and often
ride the same buses are trains to these meetings. Me in my great
height jacket and Mr. Riggle at most in the longsleeved shirt.
Fortunately, Mr. Riggle is quite fluent speech and often speaks to
different and specific pieces of legislation during the legislative
season. Like I said the guys brilliant.
Mr. Riggle should be here
in Salt Lake city, bouncing around the private nonprofit arena
basically working for peanuts. Mr. Riggle should be working out of
some senators office or Congressman's office help them develop and
define legislation for people with disabilities and the systems that
serve people with disabilities or he should be in some hotshot
national phyz-diz private nonprofit agency or lobby bring about the
same results changing influencing legislation to best serve people
with disabilities. He should be getting big gun money for what he
does but he doesn't and he probably never well and that sucks. The
reason I bring all this up is that you today is on the train and Mr.
Riggle boards and we settle indoor you discussion about this and that
and some how the ideas of dreams come up and I make statement like
“the tragedy of my life is the system robbed me of my ability to
dream”. Mr. Riggle looked at me and shook his head and grinned,"
come on Mr. Smith, that's all I have is the ability to dream".
And once again, I am put in my place by a member of the younger
legions. I have so much, even my worst days, I can do so much I
better get off the Crapper and start dreaming again , that's all we've got
is our dreams... Thanks Mr. Riggle I knew that.
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