"We are born astride a grave - WaynesWorldStage.com

pay, I had to purchase a bunch of items that wereto be given out to each household as a freesample. During my first week of going door todoor, I had developed what I thought was apretty good sales pitch but by the end of thesummer, I was ringing the bell and whensomeone came to the door to answer, I would say,"You don't want any brushes do you?" Theywould say "no" and then I would give them theirfree gift and go to the next door. After paying forthe free gifts, I may have broken even by the endof the summer.So now you can understand why I neededmy father to get me this job as a tool grinder. Iworked from February through August of '55,and paid off my debt to Alma College. My fatherhad told all of the tool shop employees that I wasstudying for the ministry and they all called me"Deacon." I got along well with my co-workersbut the shop foreman seemed to resent me. Hewas angry with the owners for having hired me.The machine that I worked on made a lot ofnoise. I would spend the day singing at the top ofmy lungs and no one could hear a sound. Theshop foreman would look at me and see my lipsmoving all day. I knew him to be a devoutCatholic. During a break, he came up to me andsaid, "I have heard that people who talk tothemselves are crazy." I said, "That may be true,35