Monday, March 20, 2006
Elephants
Here is my story:
So, it had come to this. As the elephant hung suspended above you by wires, I wondered what had brought us to this point in our lives. I wondered what had made you wanted to do this – to this extreme, and what had made the world want to see you do ‘the impossible’.
I guess it started in the cinema last year. I was with my friends, you were with yours. Heh. It’s funny how things start. We basically had the same dream - to lift stuff.
I hardly knew you, yet as you walked into the room carrying two of your friends, each in one arm, and balancing popcorn on your head, I knew I had to talk to you.
It wasn’t your looks that drew me to you. In fact, we both knew that it was nothing more than plutonic – but that was fine. That wasn’t our dream. That wasn’t our aim. We wanted to work together to lift things. Weights. People. More people… you name it. I remember one time where you and your parents used to argue about who was the strongest. Do you remember what I said? ‘Argh. Both of you stop moaning about it. It's pointless anyway and I can't be bothered to be stuck in the middle.’ And I really was stuck in the middle – you both had me by one leg and were lifting me up.
Well. That was it for your relationship with your parents. You began to look for me for advice. I guess I became your manager – something I’d always wanted to do. I found you ‘gigs’. First of all it started simple. A couple of sheep. A few people. A few crates of Guinness. But it grew into world phenomenon. And when the world saw you lift that Mini with you right hand, it knew it had found something special. I told you at the time, ‘I respect you more than anyone and regard you as the strongest person I know.’ Half of that remains true now. You are still the strongest person I know, but something went missing. Why the heck are you being so stupid now? As I look at the elephant above you, I wonder what you are trying to prove and who you are trying to prove it to. Your hoards of fans waving banners with you name on?
Ha. I remember when it was nothing to do with that. When it was just you and the thing you had to lift up. Fans or no fans. It was your dream! I even thanked you once. ‘Thanks for being such a cool example and for (hardly) ever letting life's problems get on top of you.’ You were a cool example. Like a block of ice under pressure. And you never dropped anything. Nothing was on top of you… until perhaps now that it. 5 tonnes of pure elephant. I told you someone had tried to do it before. But you wouldn’t listen. I even leant you the DVD to try and dissuade you. ‘Elephants And Why You Shouldn’t Try To Bench Press Them’. That was 6 weeks ago! 2 weeks ago today I re-emphasised the point - ‘Just watch the DVD I gave you 4 weeks ago for goodness sake.’ But did you listen? Do you ever listen anymore?
Even though I know I don't show it to you (or usually to anyone) I do regard you as a great friend even after hearing some very hurtful things come from out of your mouth. That’s why I’m stood here supporting you. It’s not about the money for me. It’s about seeing that you’re safe. But you’ve changed. Are you that ‘great friend’ anymore or not?
This was in a letter from you ex b/f. ‘Yeah... erm, I thought you were really nice... until I found out you were a bit of a psycho.’ I know I should've have reasd it, but I’m beginning to see what he meant! You’re trying to bench press an elephant?! What’s wrong with you? Do you have a death wish?
5 weeks later…
I knew working with animals was a bad idea. Ever since that episode of Blue Peter where that baby elephant ‘marked it territory’ elephants have been bad to work with. I guess it would’ve been better if they’d have just dropped it on you, instead of the elephant ‘dropping it’ on you. I suppose the elephant was as nervous as you! You almost suffocated you know? The doctors weren’t sure if you’d make it. But I had to leave. I'm so... so sorry. But I'm coming to a point where I'm not sure how to deal with the situation because I'm worried that you don't know either. You told me you’d try it again and because I told you I wouldn’t support you, you left. I wish we had the opportunity to get to know each other more, and with ease. However, you only spoke about one thing. You only had one mind set. To be the best at lifting things. And that you are. I hope you're doing well but I pray you come back one day. We can start all over from the beginning… just don’t use elephants anymore.
So, it had come to this. As the elephant hung suspended above you by wires, I wondered what had brought us to this point in our lives. I wondered what had made you wanted to do this – to this extreme, and what had made the world want to see you do ‘the impossible’.
I guess it started in the cinema last year. I was with my friends, you were with yours. Heh. It’s funny how things start. We basically had the same dream - to lift stuff.
I hardly knew you, yet as you walked into the room carrying two of your friends, each in one arm, and balancing popcorn on your head, I knew I had to talk to you.
It wasn’t your looks that drew me to you. In fact, we both knew that it was nothing more than plutonic – but that was fine. That wasn’t our dream. That wasn’t our aim. We wanted to work together to lift things. Weights. People. More people… you name it. I remember one time where you and your parents used to argue about who was the strongest. Do you remember what I said? ‘Argh. Both of you stop moaning about it. It's pointless anyway and I can't be bothered to be stuck in the middle.’ And I really was stuck in the middle – you both had me by one leg and were lifting me up.
Well. That was it for your relationship with your parents. You began to look for me for advice. I guess I became your manager – something I’d always wanted to do. I found you ‘gigs’. First of all it started simple. A couple of sheep. A few people. A few crates of Guinness. But it grew into world phenomenon. And when the world saw you lift that Mini with you right hand, it knew it had found something special. I told you at the time, ‘I respect you more than anyone and regard you as the strongest person I know.’ Half of that remains true now. You are still the strongest person I know, but something went missing. Why the heck are you being so stupid now? As I look at the elephant above you, I wonder what you are trying to prove and who you are trying to prove it to. Your hoards of fans waving banners with you name on?
Ha. I remember when it was nothing to do with that. When it was just you and the thing you had to lift up. Fans or no fans. It was your dream! I even thanked you once. ‘Thanks for being such a cool example and for (hardly) ever letting life's problems get on top of you.’ You were a cool example. Like a block of ice under pressure. And you never dropped anything. Nothing was on top of you… until perhaps now that it. 5 tonnes of pure elephant. I told you someone had tried to do it before. But you wouldn’t listen. I even leant you the DVD to try and dissuade you. ‘Elephants And Why You Shouldn’t Try To Bench Press Them’. That was 6 weeks ago! 2 weeks ago today I re-emphasised the point - ‘Just watch the DVD I gave you 4 weeks ago for goodness sake.’ But did you listen? Do you ever listen anymore?
Even though I know I don't show it to you (or usually to anyone) I do regard you as a great friend even after hearing some very hurtful things come from out of your mouth. That’s why I’m stood here supporting you. It’s not about the money for me. It’s about seeing that you’re safe. But you’ve changed. Are you that ‘great friend’ anymore or not?
This was in a letter from you ex b/f. ‘Yeah... erm, I thought you were really nice... until I found out you were a bit of a psycho.’ I know I should've have reasd it, but I’m beginning to see what he meant! You’re trying to bench press an elephant?! What’s wrong with you? Do you have a death wish?
5 weeks later…
I knew working with animals was a bad idea. Ever since that episode of Blue Peter where that baby elephant ‘marked it territory’ elephants have been bad to work with. I guess it would’ve been better if they’d have just dropped it on you, instead of the elephant ‘dropping it’ on you. I suppose the elephant was as nervous as you! You almost suffocated you know? The doctors weren’t sure if you’d make it. But I had to leave. I'm so... so sorry. But I'm coming to a point where I'm not sure how to deal with the situation because I'm worried that you don't know either. You told me you’d try it again and because I told you I wouldn’t support you, you left. I wish we had the opportunity to get to know each other more, and with ease. However, you only spoke about one thing. You only had one mind set. To be the best at lifting things. And that you are. I hope you're doing well but I pray you come back one day. We can start all over from the beginning… just don’t use elephants anymore.
# posted by TommyDB @ 11:26 a.m. 
