I ran into Dennis Rodman last night. what a surprise!

first impressions…

• he is tall (6′ 7″).
• he is very slim.
• he seems to have a slim cigar hanging out of his mouth at all times.
• he is colorful, whether it is his hair or his eclectic clothes.
• he has more paraphernalia (tattoos and body piercings) on his body and face than I have ever seen on a human being. he has rings hanging out of every part of his face.
• and he was alone. no security. no group of friends hanging around him. no fans asking for autographs. no female companionship. no kids with him
• .

Dennis Rodman, now 56 years old, apparently lives in Orange County California, and has been known to frequent some local haunts.  born in Trenton New Jersey, and one of 28 kids sired by his father, who interestingly enough finally settled in the Philippines and whose name was Philander.

Dennis first became famous for his basketball exploits. he was a great defensive player, leading the league in rebounding seven years in a row. he made rebounding glamorous.

but he is also a man with many eccentricities and problems, all too many of which have received coverage over the years.   multiple divorces, failure to make child support payments, financial problems, at least one suicide attempt, multiple DUI’s, domestic violence assertions, alcoholism, causing a hit and run auto accident, to name a few.  police appeared at his home over 70 times because of complaints of loud parties.

most recently he has received media attention because of his visits to North Korea and his apparent friendly relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

.

you get the feeling looking at the man that he is a man searching for something. really searching for something.  but that something is a long, long ways a way.

believe it or not, I actually found myself in his presence feeling empathy for him. feeling sorry for him.

hard to fathom, when you consider his actions, his statements, his treatment of his own body, and his apparent values. all of which appear on the surface to be the opposite of mine.

he is in many ways disgusting. and yet, here I am standing ten feet away from him — never having met him or been close to him in any way — feeling his lonliness, his longing.   and feeling some empathy for him.

why? I have no idea.  maybe I am just a “softie”.  or maybe I saw him at a particular moment when no one else was around him, when he let his guard down.

for that one moment in time, I saw a different Dennis Rodman.