He was always so quiet

Isn’t that what they always say when someone goes over the edge? I don’t know why. The signs are almost always there.

What brings this to mind is a television news report. I was poised to click off the remote and there was a mug shot from a recent arrest on the screen. The guy had been pulled over for a traffic stop and flipped out.

I’ve kayaked with him several times and am not surprised. A couple years ago, I was tipping a beer with a few other paddling group leaders from the state. One opined that if we each wrote down the most aberrant people who had ever posted on our respective web sites, there would probably be at least an 80% overlap. He was right and this guy was one of them who came up. The signs are almost always there.

It’s doubtful any reporter will ask me about this. But, I wouldn’t be giving a reaction of surprise.