Aren’t we all Forest Gump?

I just love the parts of Gump where he ends up being in the right or wrong places at various times in history! One scene shows him in with LBJ, another addressing one of the largest anti-war rallies in history. He buys some stock in a fruit company (Apple Computer) and inspires John Lennon to write the song “Imagine”.
The older I get the more I feel like Forest. Either myself or people that I know have been present at some of the biggest turning points in history….and often not known it at the time!
How close do we all pass to history or fame or death or anything else?
Here are some quick examples. I have a deceased friend who was intimate with Jim Morrisons’ wife, Pamela! I used to joke to him “you’ve been where Jim Morrison has been”….yeah, no big thing, but it’s sort of funny! I live on the east coast and so did my friend, but he spent some time out in LA where he befriended her!
My wife went to the same high school as Wilt Chamberlain, Will Smith and many other well known characters. My high school graduated Alexander Haig , Kobe Bryant and many others of fame, including the inventor of the Amazon Kindle.

I’m certain many people can make such connections…and these are not the more historical examples ala Gump that I refer to. Here is one which is a bit more Gumpish:

Those who know some Nixon history will remember a scene in the movie and books recounting his pre-dawn visit to the Lincoln Memorial to talk with some anti-war protestors. The year was 1970 and the country was in full disarray. A large march was scheduled for that day. Here is one description of the Nixon sleepless night:
“Before dawn the next morning, Nixon impulsively wakened his valet and set off with a clutch of Secret Service men for the Lincoln Memorial, where he talked for an hour with a group of drowsy but astonished demonstrators. His discussion rambled over the sights of the world that he had seen — Mexico City, the Moscow ballet, the cities of India. When the conversation turned to the war, Nixon told the students: “I know you think we are a bunch of so and so’s.”

Before he left, Nixon said: “I know you want to get the war over. Sure you came here to demonstrate and shout your slogans on the ellipse. That’s all right. Just keep it peaceful. Have a good time in Washington, and don’t go away bitter.”

And where was I during these proceedings…..completely unaware, of course, but my brother and I and two friends were asleep in our black rambler on the small circular driveway in front of the Lincoln Memorial. We had drove there the evening before, visited Abe in his memorial, and then parked and went to sleep. It was many years later before I tied the two events together….

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