Tonight at work my friend Octavious told me that he is a Fowler too. He has a different last name but his father's last name is Fowler and he still has many Fowler relatives that he knows. And you know what? It all made sense! We get along really well, we are both in the mental health profession, and let's face it, we look SO MUCH alike. To quote Tommy Boy, brothers don't shake hands...brothers gotta huuuuuugg!
There are some minor differences between us that must be due to random genetics:
1. Octavious played offensive line at UT and in the NFL (Raiders and Falcons), NFL Europe, and XFL, while I starred in the ninth grade play at my intermediate school.
2. Octavious is 6'5" and weighs about 345 pounds, while I'm 5'8" and, okay, I realize I'm moving up towards him in the weight department.
3. Octavious does a wonderful job getting the football players to get their acts straight, both by giving them the ex-player perspective and by being really good at what he does, while I usually drive home crying because the guys called me a teeny weeny poopoohead.
4. Octavious can palm a basketball; I can palm a jelly bean.
But in all seriousness, I'm so glad that I have Octavious as a friend and this is just one more thing we have to talk and joke about. Octavious is doing his social work internship and has a lot of experience with kids involved in gangs and with marital therapy and sex addiction counseling. He provides an amazing example for the football players of life after football and the UT football program is extremely lucky to have him back in the building - and we mentors are extremely lucky too.
Do you need some Kleenex?
Johnathan
4 comments:
Hey,
I can't believe how much we resemble each other. it is always exciting to find long lost family members. I went home and told my wife about this huggalishous experience. She was so happy for me wanting to know in detail about how Jon and I resemble I begin to point out the many qualities that I noticed about Jon. She gave me a very perplexed and confused look lifting her left eyebrow. She continued to listen and stare at me as if she did not know who I was. I am not sure what her problem was but i believe that the family connection between Jon and I will probably cause more unsettled stares. WoW I never knew how fulfilling finding Fowlers could be. Much Love to my new found family.
Big O
Dude, the line "while I starred in the ninth grade play at my intermediate school" made milk come out of my nose. And I wasn't even drinking milk at the time. Awesome post.
Octavious! My son??? The resemblance is truly amazing! Seriously, from the many nice things Johnathan has said about you, all of us Fowlers are proud of you! :)
Johnathan's Mom
That piece was a work of art. It's funny, because so many times I wanted to call Big O "Johnathan" and Johnathan "Big O." There is just something so eerily similar about the two of you...if you squint a little. Well, maybe close your eyes.
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