Everyone Is Entitled To My Opinion- On Giants

Dear Friends,

      Giants, they are; mythological, dangerous, friendly, and real. Think about David and Goliath, according to the Bible Goliath was a giant and very bad and David had to face him in battle, we know how that fared for the giant. How about “Jack and the Beanstalk”, Jack trades for magic beans which his mother throws out the window and the next day there’s a beanstalk that has sprouted up into the clouds. Jack climbs up the beanstalk and finds great treasures which he takes only to be chased down the beanstalk by the giant. Jack chops down the bean stalk which is not a happy ending for the giant. Another Jack, “Jack the Giant Killer” depicted giants as huge, stupid, and violent. George Washington had a member of his troops that was a giant (said to be 6’8”) who carried the canon barrel into battle and is also said to have lifted the general’s horse over a stone wall, OK a good giant. Then we have Little John, Robin Hood’s compatriot, Paul Bunyan whose pet was a blue ox named Babe (he should have a poodle?) I would be remiss if I did not mention Andre the Giant. There have been many giants throughout history they were people who reached extraordinary heights and weights, eating according to their size, eggs by the dozens, loaves of bread at a single meal, 8,000 calories a day, often ending up as side shows in a circus. Their clothing and shoes had to be special order, furniture, transportation, doorways all become a problem.

        Having spent years in the squared circle of Professional Wrestling I met Andre and got to know him, he was a nice man intelligent and hardworking sadly he was also keenly aware of the special conditions giants faced in life, something we shared. People view giants as stupid and slow, and unbelievably often taunted and even challenged to defend against unprovoked attacks. Andre once ordered a breakfast in a diner late at night, the waitress taking his order commented, “Is that all a big guy like you is eating?” His response was “No, bring me one of every breakfast on the menu.” He ate it all.

     I stand 6’ 8” and one day my doctor weighed me and I realized I was twenty pounds away from a quarter ton I qualify as a giant, I felt good and my cholesterol, sugar, blood pressure, and pulse were all great, but old injuries were becoming more painful. Getting in and out of most cars was prohibitive and many doorways require ducking and turning. Clothes and shoes for many years were hard to find “one size fits all became a painful joke.” Try sitting in a theater seat for two hours without getting stuck or go through a turnstile in a single pass. Flying commercial requires an aisle seat at a break or you fly with your knees up in your chest. Regardless of where you sit you still need to ask for an eighteen-inch seat belt extension. All you can eat becomes the go to eat place. I love going to a bar b q at friend’s homes and heading for the wicker lawn furniture, I am led to a special iron chair just for me. Another large individual although not tall enough to be tagged a giant was Victor Buono who explained how he felt about being large this way, “If the girls refuse to dig me Just because I’m not a pygmy, Then I try to make them see my view That beauty comes in barrels, too; And precious gemstones grow in clumps And treasures can be found in dumps And silver hides in heaps. To heck with all your fashion trends, I’d rather be myself, my