PAST ISSUES
Issue No. 7 QUESTIONS
For the Questions issue we are turning our focus from the outside world and bringing it inward. Each day for 100 days we will step out into the world and meet with one person. We will ask each person we meet the same 12 questions. At the end of 100 days we hope to capture our collective voice within this interwoven web of dialog.
Day 33: Terry Kirkpatrick
What do you do for a living?
I’m the owner and operator of the Grumpy Gringo Cigar Shop. I’m also a published author through Penguin Books. The book’s called “Sixty Miles of Border” – and I”m currently working on finishing two fiction books: “On the Good Side of Evil” and “Blood and Betrayal”.
What do you do to feel alive?
Multiple things. I write. I travel. I intermingle and converse daily with dozens of patrons that come into the shop about every topic you could think of.
A lesson you learned from your mother:
I was kind of raised by my grandmother, but probably to stop and listen before making judgement or comment.
A lesson you learned from your father:
Make every day count.
What’s the most beautiful thing you saw today?
The sunrise when I was walking my dogs this morning. The moon was still out. The sky was red.
What’s one thing you wouldn’t want anyone to take away from you?
Who I am – your sense of who you are. Everyone is unique in their own right and sometimes circumstances in life dictate what you’re about.
What’s a thought you would like to never have again?
Shooting people – from my past. I spent 28 years as an undercover agent with tours in Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Los Angeles, Puerto Rico, Moscow and dozens of other areas.
If you could become an inanimate object what would it be?
A large rock on a mountain looking out onto the vastness and seeing everything that goes on below.
When do you feel most loved?
I feel loved everyday, but probably in an embrace in a tender moment.
If your life were to end tomorrow what would be left undone?
Too numerous to say. A lot of petty stuff I guess. Getting my house in order and finishing the two novels I’m working on.
What global issue would you take on if you didn’t have to worry about how?
Which one of a thousand would I pick…I see a large issue in this country with our educational program. Making sure that everyone gets an education. Education leads to self-sufficiency and employment and encourages young people to make rational decisions so that future generations can lead the world down a better path.
What’s the scariest thing that ever happened to you?
Getting shot