Dare to be Stupid

One fond memory I have of my brother Colin was his fine sense of humor. When we were late teens some evangelical group was traveling the country putting on a show the called "Dare to be Great". Colin quickly changed it to "Dare to be stupid". I have always loved the concept. As a sailor when we start to get ourselves in to a bind I always think about the Dare to be stupid concept.

When we first became close to legal driving age we did a host of Dare to be stupid projects. Many times we were in cars we should not have been in, and often we did not have the necessary credentials to make driving the borrowed car legal. To make it simple we were driving stolen cars without a license.

Once we cooked up a scheme to borrow Benny Powell's grandfather's old Chevy. Grandpa had taken a pretty good dose of heart medicine which he purchased from the state store. As grandpa slept on the couch so the heart medicine could work we took off for a ride with his car. Ben was not a good driver so part of the mission was to teach Ben driving skills. As we made our rounds someone informed us that "The Kraut" as Ben fondly called his grandfather had awakened, and reported his car missing. It seemed in the best interest of the Dare to be stupid society to get the car home quickly. Ideally the car could be put back in the driveway without the police noticing. With the need for speed, and Ben's poor driving skills I agreed to drive the car to his grandfathers house. I knew there was not future in driving into that driveway with what was essentially a stolen car. So we devised a plan. I would get the car close to Ben's grandfathers. Benny would drive the car the final distance. I had to instruct him on shifting and so on. As we neared the house Ben would slow down and I would jump from the moving car. We approached his house I opened the door rolled out and behind a neighbors hedge. Benny turned into the driveway and drove the car up the driveway. It looked like the plan worked until Benny drove into a window well that protruded into the drive way.

Benny grew up living with his grandparents. I always remember being at his home and hearing a sudden shout for Benny to bring grandpa heart medicine. Quickly Ben would pour a stiff shot of heart medicine that came in fifths and rush to save his grandfather. I am sure after a strong dose of heart medicine the car incident cleared up. Perhaps grandpa was convinced he had drive it into the window well himself during a minor heart attack. To this day I enjoy a good glass of heart medication. I am one of the few Quinn's who has not had any heart problems. I attribute this to regular medication. In the winter my doctor recommends Johnny Walker red to keep the cholesterol in check. With warm weather Tanqueray thinned with tonic in the summer seems to help cool the heart and relax the arteries.