Paul

There once was a rugrat named Paul. Paul loved digging in the dirt, searching for lost civilizations. One day, he would be a great archeologist or paleontologist, and discover great artifacts left behind by the Incas or the Mayans, or maybe some other undiscovered victim of extinction! (Go figure: Whether they dream of becoming an archeologist, pirate, or stock broker, every little boy loves a good treasure hunt.)

Fast forward to the present. Paul is sitting in a Geographic Informational Systems (GIS) class in George Mason University. He can't quite decide if his training will lead him to a job in city planning or to something in natural resources or botany. To escape the monotony in his professor's speech, Paul takes a little canoeing trip down memory river, to one of his favorite remembrances.

He finds himself back at Mt. Ranier National Park, with his band of fellow seasonal park workers, sneaking to the other side of the park to meet up for a clandestine farewell party for one of the interns. They make their way to the field, surrounded by woods, build a fire, pop open the beers, and lay out their sleeping bags. Several slightly buzzed members of the party decide to go out and scout the land. They come upon a large rope swing, tied to a sturdy tree, hanging above the Ohanapecosh River, alongside leviathan cliffs. In the water below, lies a massive log jam, washed to that spot by flood waters from the previous Fall. What else was there to be done but PLAY!!! After using the rope to scale the cliff walls, Paul and his friends make use of this log jungle gym, provided by Mother Nature. Ahh. Good people, good beer, good times.

Who is Paul? I came across Paul sitting alone at a bus stop, reading a book. I didn't get a good enough look at the title, because I was too busy rehearsing my introductory speech to see anything beyond my own initial insecurity and discomfort. I think it might have been a Penguin Classic. But he kindly listened to my spiel, smiled, and put his composition book and reading material away to oblige this aspiring writer.

Physical Description (In his own word): Shorter than average, white guy, with a bushy beard. Currently wearing green brush pants and a faded blue, untucked button-up.

Things that Make Paul Smile Really Big: 1) Being a member of equal standing, with things to contribute, in a group of people with similar interests. 2) When a woman sees something in him that people do not typically notice, and discovers that she is attracted to him because of this little seen feature. 3) Being in the right place at the right time to help someone who really needs it, and wants it.

The origin of Paul: Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to announce that, contrary to some beliefs,  there is NO SHAME in meeting potential spouses in church singles groups! Apparently, it works! Or at least it did for Paul's mum and pop. They met while ice blocking in a park for a church singles group outing. For those of you who are not familiar with winter sports, ice blocking is where you sled down a hill on a giant block of ice! Isn't that fantastic? Well, as fate would have it, one of the other guys with the group broke his arm while ice blocking, and Paul's mom had to rush him to the hospital. This led Paul's father to mistakenly believe that there was a special relationship between his targeted love and the invalid, and that gave him the swift kick in the pants he needed in order to ask her out shortly after. After love and marriage, came the baby carriage. Baby Paul was born, followed by a sister and a brother. Many years after that, sister got married and made Paul an uncle to a precious little niece.

Ahhh, L'amour. Yes, once upon a time, Paul was in love. She was a wonderful girl that he met while studying abroad in England and Wales. Sadly, it was a one way street. He loved everything about her. They were good friends and had such good times together. So what went wrong? She had a girl friend. *HELLO!* Yet, even despite this jarring piece of information, Paul could not stop thinking about her, even a year and a half later. Why is it that we can never help who we fall for? Man. Cupid must have been blind AND deaf when he shot that arrow.

So there you have it. A small compilation of series of events and elements that are PAUL.