Today I had the privilege of lunching with one of the most physically beautiful men I've yet (so far within these 53 years) to have the privilege to befriend. And, I'm pleased to say as well that his persona came / comes across as quite likable in kind.
When I was in high school, I found myself transfixed by one particular fellow classmate (male). He was no doubt the most athletic / athletically built young man within our +/-45-member troupe. Whenever Tom would be within "visual range", I would have to - very intentionally - stop gazing in his general direction. For everything about this young man simply looked distinctly ideal in regard to Rob's ultimate fantasy man.
What was ironic regarding these consistently roulette wheel run-ins (our private high school was NOT large) was this very Adonis ended up seated directly across from me within my first college class.
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Physical beauty can spell trouble for individuals who're prone to exploit the inevitable attention (feed their egos) for their own gain / pleasure. My former classmate, Tom, may have experienced this (he & I, by no means, stayed in touch), but regarding my new friend from lunch today, there's absolutely no doubt. And he very humbly admitted to this.
According to my new friend, playing college football brought opportunities to party alongside. And with partying (at age 20) came boozing. Boozing that tapped into a genetic predisposition (lengthy ancestral line) to become addicted. And that addiction almost completely destroyed him and his future. I knew just enough of this prior to our lunch to be intrigued (which served as a catalyst for organizing our juncture), but I had no idea of the severity therein. Ultimately, in tandem with him hitting rock bottom, had it not been for the kindness of an aunt, he'd be dead.
Listen to me when I tell you this, dear reader. If you saw this beautiful man on the street, you'd NEVER SUSPECT him having lived out this wreckage of a life. Never. And speaking of the word never...
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I've never had an experience like this. Sitting there with this incredibly hot guy and hearing the highlights of his derailment tale absolutely shook me to the core. And let me be blunt, this derailment altered - for the worse - the course of his life forever. Opportunity(ies) torched. A future life lived on Easy Street torpedoed.
It's been six years since my new friend has drunk alcohol. Today, he's married with numerous stepchildren, meekly providing financial support via a below average pay managerial position at a local nonprofit.
I wept for my - only half-smiled once during our lunch - new friend as I made my way back to my office. And, man oh man, what a gorgeous smile he has.
In closing, he shared with me how he and his fam were slated to head out tomorrow, (10/3) for a fall break vaca. Their destination? A very isolated, modest beachfront property owned by a hospitable family member.
I couldn't help but wonder if said location wasn't - at least to some degree - selected out of shame management.
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This world of woe is so very difficult to reckon with, taking stories like his into consideration. Please pray for me going forward as I rub shoulders with my new friend. I feel so privileged to know him now as I didn't know him before despite the time it will take for me to process his story. Here's the lesson: Over the top physical / sexual attractiveness can no doubt be exploited by our Enemy. Particularly in a world that celebrates / elevates these to the degree that we do. Satan's end goal will always be to kill, steal & destroy using first & foremost the status quo against us coupled with our naivety regarding our own vulnerability.
We are all sheep. Some of us far more attractive sheep than the rest, but there's no changing the fact that we're still dumbass sheep. Never forget how vulnerable therein you truly are.
