Cousin Mike moved to Oklahoma City the other day. Unbelieveable. But good for him.
Right now, his trailer sits vacant with most of the furnishings & fixtures intact. The trailer has to stay in his father's name because his father plans on spending nights there while he's in Michigan. Apparently, all Mike's necessary items went down in one carload, a nineteen-hour trip that went without a hitch. And suddenly, his older brother Johnny and I are the only ones on that side of the family still in the state.
I would never have predicted Mike to make this move, even as recently as seven months ago. I never could have believed that Mike would have actually left Spirit. He was so gung-ho about the place until recently. Through my experiences there as well as what he witnessed in those last few weeks, however, obviously changed even HIS mind.
I used to joke with him that he wore a shirt with an "S" underneath... but the "S" didn't stand for Superman, it stood for Spirit. He was married to that place, for all we knew. Now it comes as a shock when we realize even Mike can get turned off by a bad work environment.
Steve worries about Mike in particular, because he hasn't landed a job in OKC yet. Mike's not been one that's been wise about money, we must admit. Too many bills and not enough paychecks. But the fact is, he's been following his heart.
He was able to reconnect with his hidden high school sweetheart, Cindy, through MySpace. By "hidden", it means he had a secret crush on her; and after the reconnection he found out she had that same secret crush on him. The crush went unanswered for over 15 years. Now they are together and I have seen him in photos more happy than I ever have.
He (along with Steve) used to tease me about all the girlfriends I had in the past. Mike went 32 years without one, so I would even sense some resentment in his teasing. Steve was a little more critical about Mike than I was; I always believed anything was possible. Still, it's shocking to a point when it actually happens. You can prepare for something all your adult life, and when it comes, you feel as if you never prepared for it at all. Yet sometimes, the shock can be a good thing.
Mike realized at the same time as I did that Michigan has no hope for the immediate future. Yet I didn't think either of us had the guts to do something about it. Lack of money is not a crutch, it is a sad fact of life for us. I always thought I would make the move first, but look what happened. And I feel happy for him.
Sure, I wish I could say it was me that could move, but every move I make is stamped with "Proceed with Caution". I don't think he's blown the caution to the winds, like some of his friends say. Steve and I both worry about him. But you cannot defeat the heart, or the mind when it agrees with the heart and provides the determination and inner gut to do this.
If anyone deserves a better life (outside of me), it's Mike. It's been 33 uneasy years for him. Now he gets to shake that off and start the new life he's always wanted, but had doubted he'd ever get -- before now.
Bravo, cousino.
