Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #truestories, aggregated by home.social.
No screenwriter invented this. No novelist would dare. Stranger Than Fiction is real stories that sound completely made up — and every single one checks out. #StrangerThanFiction #UnbelievableButTrue #TrueStories #HistoryIsWeird #OddHistory
Posted into FLIPBOARD EXCHANGE FEED 🗞️ @flipboard-exchange-feed-Econopass
The wall was ugly. Brutal. Effective. It did its job for 28 years. People still escaped. Some died trying. Freedom pulls harder than fear pushes. That's the truth the wall teaches.
#books #bookreview #ColdWar #TrueStories #bookclub
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/berlin-wall-frederick-taylor-review/
FOX Weather Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen Stops Live Broadcast to Rescue Woman From Flooded Car
Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen wades through chest-deep floodwater to carry a driver to safety during a live broadcast.Dear Cherubs, when a live weather report suddenly includes someone screaming for help from a sinking car, the usual broadcast priorities tend to rearrange themselves rather quickly. That is exactly what happened in Atlanta on September 27, 2024, when FOX Weather meteorologist Bob Van Dillen abandoned his live shot and entered dangerous floodwater to rescue a trapped woman.
THE BROADCAST TAKES A TURN
Van Dillen was reporting from the Atlanta area during Hurricane Helene when he heard a woman crying for help from a vehicle that had become trapped in rapidly rising water near Peachtree Creek.
According to NPR and Georgia Public Broadcasting, the woman had driven onto a flooded road before dawn and became trapped as the water rose around her car. Her screams could be heard during Van Dillen’s live television report.
Van Dillen initially called 911 and told the woman that help was coming. But after several minutes, the situation became increasingly urgent. The woman was still inside the vehicle, strapped into her seatbelt, while floodwater continued to rise.
At that point, Van Dillen made a decision that was considerably more important than finishing a weather segment: he went to help her.
THE RESCUE
Video from the broadcast shows Van Dillen wading through chest-deep floodwater toward the stranded vehicle. According to Georgia Public Broadcasting, the car door was difficult to open because of the water pressure, so Van Dillen instructed the woman to lower a window.
He then released her seatbelt, pulled her from the vehicle and carried her through the floodwater on his back.
The rescue was particularly dangerous because moving floodwater can be unpredictable, and even apparently shallow water can conceal hazards or exert significant force. This was not exactly a stroll across a mildly damp car park.
Van Dillen later told reporters that the water was warmer than he had expected, although he was still freezing afterward. The woman was reportedly unharmed but cold.
After reaching safety, Van Dillen gave her his shirt and helped her into another vehicle while they waited for emergency responders and her husband. Her husband subsequently arrived and thanked him.
The remarkable part is that Van Dillen himself appeared almost embarrassed by the attention. Rather than turning the moment into a personal victory lap, he redirected attention toward the much larger flooding emergency affecting Atlanta.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the city experienced its first-ever Flash Flood Emergency that morning. The National Weather Service had warned of life-threatening flooding as exceptionally heavy rainfall associated with Helene moved through the region.
The footage became widely shared because it captured something television rarely gets to show quite so plainly: a person hearing another person’s distress and deciding that the camera could wait.
Weather reporting suddenly became secondary. Human instinct took over.
And for once, “breaking news” meant something very literal.Sources:
Associated Press — https://apnews.com/article/43210a704c5a90114168cadacca6da8e
Georgia Public Broadcasting — https://www.gpb.org/news/2024/09/27/meteorologist-in-atlanta-rescued-woman-helene-floodwaters-on-camera
FOX 5 Atlanta — https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/fox-meteorologist-rescue-woman-floodwaters-atlanta.amp
The Washington Post — https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/climate-environment/fox-weather-reporter-rescues-woman-during-live-report/2024/09/27/bf6014b7-fa78-441c-8f66-af82f2b8dadd_video.html
The Thisclaimer logo blends a classic warning symbol with a brain icon to represent critical thinking, curiosity, and thoughtful disclaimers #atlantaFlooding #bobVanDillen #breakingNews #extremeWeather #floodRescue #foxWeather #Heroism #hurricaneHelene #meteorologist #news #trueStories #viral #ViralVideo
A bride got dumped a week before her dream Italian wedding. She had an incredible party anyway.
A man searched 20 years for his birth mother with three clues. ChatGPT found her in minutes.
A man searched 20 years for his birth mother with three clues. ChatGPT found her in minutes.
The wall was ugly. Brutal. Effective. It did its job for 28 years. People still escaped. Some died trying. Freedom pulls harder than fear pushes. That's the truth the wall teaches.
#books #bookreview #ColdWar #TrueStories #bookclub
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/berlin-wall-frederick-taylor-review/
A free climber was stranded 250 feet up a mountain. His 911 call reveals his one true fear.
https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/pn-free-climber-stranded-mount-yonah-911-call-dad/
A free climber was stranded 250 feet up a mountain. His 911 call reveals his one true fear.
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/pn-free-climber-stranded-mount-yonah-911-call-dad/
The wall was ugly. Brutal. Effective. It did its job for 28 years. People still escaped. Some died trying. Freedom pulls harder than fear pushes. That's the truth the wall teaches.
#books #bookreview #ColdWar #TrueStories #bookclub
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/berlin-wall-frederick-taylor-review/
A fisherman rescued an orphaned seal in 1971. Five years later, the animal started speaking English.
A fisherman rescued an orphaned seal in 1971. Five years later, the animal started speaking English.
A carjacker stole an SUV with two kids inside. He didn’t count on the 8-year-old girl in the backseat.
A couple was browsing a random yard sale. Then the wife found a 19-year-old photo of her husband.
“Prison taught me that freedom is more than an open gate. Writing taught me that it begins when we stop hiding from our own story and find the courage to tell it.”
— Ken Brydon
thedistancebetweenrightandwrong.com
#PrisonWriter #FindingFreedom #AuthorsOfBluesky #TrueStories
Home | Prison Writers
He thought a stiff neck was just a gym injury. Then doctors found a tumor in his brain.
He thought a stiff neck was just a gym injury. Then doctors found a tumor in his brain.
Her parents thought they lost her in the devastating Nepal floods. 2 days later, she made contact.
Her parents thought they lost her in the devastating Nepal floods. 2 days later, she made contact.
An autistic girl couldn’t tolerate music. Then a book from Dolly Parton changed everything.
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/pn-dolly-parton-book-helps-autistic-girl-love-music/
An autistic girl couldn’t tolerate music. Then a book from Dolly Parton changed everything.
https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/pn-dolly-parton-book-helps-autistic-girl-love-music/
The book tells of Eli Cohen, who infiltrated Syria's highest ranks. He sent secrets that saved Israel. They hung him for it. Some sacrifices cannot be measured.
#books #bookreviews #SpyHeroes #TrueStories #HistoryBuffs
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/spymasters-of-israel/
ER doctors diagnosed a woman with terminal cancer. The real culprit started with a toothache.
ER doctors diagnosed a woman with terminal cancer. The real culprit started with a toothache.
His parents had no idea he was having a seizure upstairs, but his gaming friend 5,000 miles away sprang into action
His parents had no idea he was having a seizure upstairs, but his gaming friend 5,000 miles away sprang into action
The book shows the gritty truth of intelligence work. No martinis or fancy cars. Just calculated risks in dark rooms. Just men and women gambling with their lives.
#books #bookreviews #RealSpies #TrueStories
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/man-called-intrepid/
Navigating Language Lessons
I’d safely been in Poland for perhaps five minutes, and a cardboard caricature of my past career had already beaten me to the job.https://ghostswecarrystoriestokeep.com/2026/08/17/lektor-years/
A night at The Vogel
Glen, Gina, Dennis, Maryanne
Up on the roof
Rock and Rohl Rooftop
Enjoying ourselves at the Vogel last night.
Ran into our beautiful friends, Glen & Gina.
Jesse Malin’s show “Silver Manhattan” was SPECTACULAR!
(Photos of the show were not allowed)
It is said not to give away the ending of a story because you’ll ruin it for others. For this, I can’t even give away the beginning because it’s the most jolting play opener you’ll ever see!
This is a play that can be handed down generation to generation (to D-Generation) because it wasn’t just the story of Jesse Malin, it was a story for all of us. Anyone who lost a true friend, lost a loving parent, anyone who was mocked as an outsider and created their way into their dream career, and has had their good health stolen from them — no matter how healthy they once were.
Whether you know Jesse’s music or not, this is a show everyone should see because it’s so relatable to the essence of being a human being. But of course, the music is excellent. Jesse picked a variety of songs throughout his career to illustrate his story. With song and word he paints a poignant, honest portrait of his journey. It’s a tear jerker, but also an inspiration.
God bless, Jesse Malin, we love you!
A man with a troubled past found purpose in jihad. Then found new purpose fighting jihad. Storm changed sides like others change clothes. Identity became his weapon.
#TrueStories #IntelligenceOps #MustRead
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/agent-storm-book-review/
A bed-bound 96-year-old suddenly got up to pick out his burial suit before saying his final words
https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/pn-96-year-old-chooses-burial-suit-final-words/
Wie sieht Polizeiarbeit wirklich aus? 🚔
Der #Podcast „Achtung, Achtung! Hier sprach die Polizei“ gibt spannende Einblicke in 45 Jahre Polizeierfahrung.
Gemeinsam mit Moderator Philipp Böckmann spricht Münsters ehemaliger Leitender Polizeidirektor Udo Weiss über bewegende Erlebnisse aus seinem Berufsalltag, Verkehrssicherheit, Bürgernähe und die Herausforderungen des Polizeidienstes.
🎧 Jetzt hören: https://www.hiersprachdiepolizei.de
The title comes from Dallaire’s efforts to negotiate with killers. He literally had to “shake hands with the devil” to try to save lives.
#TrueStories #Courage #books #bookreviews
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/shake-hands-with-the-devil/
https://www.europesays.com/at/284429/ Zwei Folgen „True Stories“ in ORF 1 und auf ORF ON: „In höchster Not – Bergretter im Einsatz“ und „Todesfalle Haute Route“ #APA #APAOTS #AT #Austria #Entertainment #Fernsehen #Medien #orf #Österreich #OTS #TrueStories #Unterhaltung
The title comes from Dallaire’s efforts to negotiate with killers. He literally had to “shake hands with the devil” to try to save lives.
#TrueStories #Courage #books #bookreviews
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/shake-hands-with-the-devil/
War, identity, and sacrifice. Matti Friedman’s Spies of No Country is a must-read for anyone curious about Israel’s early days.
#Mossad #TrueStories #BookLovers #books #bookreview
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/spies-of-no-country-book-review/
#OutOfThisWorld #BBC #UK #TV #Television #Paranormal #Ghost #Ghosts #Spirits #Reincarnation #Creepy #Weird #Britain #BRITISH #Vintage #Spooky #Strange #RoadGhost #BluebellHill #Spirit #Haunting #TVSeries #Parapsychology #YouTube #TrueStories #Unexplained This is such a strange and disturbing story. The second half of this episode features two very similar ghostly encounters on the A229 (Bluebell Hill) in Kent, UK. It’s a great dramatisation, and definitely worth a watch…
#OutOfThisWorld #BBC #UK #TV #Television #Paranormal #Ghost #Ghosts #Spirits #Reincarnation #Creepy #Weird #Britain #BRITISH #Vintage #Spooky #Strange #RoadGhost #BluebellHill #Spirit #Haunting #TVSeries #Parapsychology #YouTube #TrueStories #Unexplained Fancy hearing some paranormal encounters from 1994? Including the infamous Bluebell Hill Road ghost? Here you go, and the episodes should run consecutively…
War, identity, and sacrifice. Matti Friedman’s Spies of No Country is a must-read for anyone curious about Israel’s early days.
#Mossad #TrueStories #BookLovers #books #bookreview
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/spies-of-no-country-book-review/
What if the true strength of a community is not found in its buildings, institutions, or leaders - but in ordinary people?
Quiet Valor, Community Builders: The People Who Shape the Places We Call Home, by Larry Nouvel
Free until July 3rd
Larry Nouvel has spent decades studying companion animals through applied science, close observation, and care.
Quiet Valor, What Lies Between Us: True Stories of Dogs, Cats, and People, and What Passes Between Them, by Larry Nouvel
Free until June 12th
https://www.europesays.com/at/195112/ Instagram & Linear-TV – Ein crossmedialer Blick auf das „Wunderteam“ #AT #Austria #CarolineHaidacher #ChristianStrasser #GeraldHeidegger #HugoMeisl #Kanada #LukasHanus #ManuChao #MatthiasSindelar #mexiko #orf #Österreich #PaulPoet #Sport #Sports #TrueStories:DasWunderteam
Mainstream narrative about WWII victims inevitably ignores and negates many who lost their lives, including LGBT, the elderly, and disabled people.
These good people loved, helped, worked and shared. They deserved better from the world, and deserve better retrospectively.
Thankfully this gutsy author is daring to speak the truth bravely, in a shockingly fascistic country which incites hate of misunderstood minorities (billionaires gain more advantages by dividing population against itself, and the stupid do their bidding).
#history #wwii #ww2 #fascism #hate #truestories #autobiographies
'Nazi persecution of lesbians has been overlooked. Meet the queer historian telling their story'.
- LGBTQ Nation
The Man Who Sued Everyone (Including Guinness): Inside Jonathan Lee Riches’ Legal Chaos
Illustration of courtroom chaos inspired by high-volume legal filings (image credit: conceptual/AI-generated style)Dear Cherubs, Jonathan Lee Riches is what happens when a filing fee meets unlimited imagination and absolutely no intention of subtlety. Over the years, he became infamous for launching thousands of lawsuits from prison, targeting everyone from presidents to pop stars—and yes, even institutions like Guinness World Records.
THE MAN WHO SUED EVERYONE, INCLUDING REALITY
Riches’ reputation comes from an almost surreal volume of legal filings submitted while he was incarcerated in the United States. According to publicly documented court records and summaries, he filed thousands of civil complaints, many of which read less like legal arguments and more like chaotic crossovers between celebrity gossip and alternate history fan fiction.
Among his more widely reported targets were George W. Bush, Britney Spears, Michael Vick, Steve Jobs, and even abstract entities like the Eiffel Tower. At one point, he even attempted legal action involving Guinness World Records, reportedly in response to disputes around “most litigious person” style labels. Spoiler: the courts were not entertained.
As noted in reporting compiled by sources like Wikipedia and federal court summaries, these cases were consistently dismissed as frivolous, legally insufficient, or failing basic procedural requirements. Judges did not so much “consider” his claims as they did swiftly send them into judicial oblivion.
Low-key, the legal system treated his filings like someone spamming the “submit” button on reality itself.
WHEN COURTS STOPPED PLAYING ALONG
Eventually, the pattern became impossible to ignore. Courts across multiple jurisdictions began dismissing his cases en masse, often citing the Prison Litigation Reform Act rules designed to prevent abusive or repetitive filings. In simpler terms: the system basically said, “we are not doing this with you anymore.”
In some instances, courts reportedly imposed restrictions on his ability to file new lawsuits without permission. That’s the legal equivalent of being put on “internet probation,” but for courtrooms.
What makes Riches so widely discussed isn’t that he ever won landmark cases—he didn’t—but rather the sheer scale and creativity of his filings. It’s giving legal chaos energy with zero filters and maximum persistence.
According to commentary on thisclaimer.com, cases like his highlight how open court systems can be both powerful and vulnerable: they allow access to justice, but also occasionally become stages for absurdity when abused. It’s a reminder that procedure matters just as much as imagination.
Today, Riches remains a reference point in legal discussions about vexatious litigants—people who file so many baseless suits that courts must step in to protect the system itself. In internet terms, he basically achieved “ban speedrun any%,” but through federal court orders.
So while Guinness World Records may not be adding a “most chaotic litigant” category anytime soon, Jonathan Lee Riches already occupies a permanent niche in legal folklore: the man who sued basically everything except, ironically, common sense.
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Lee_Riches
The Thisclaimer logo blends a classic warning symbol with a brain icon to represent critical thinking, curiosity, and thoughtful disclaimers. #courtCases #frivolousLawsuits #guinnessWorldRecords #history #jonathanLeeRiches #law #legalHistory #legalOddities #news #politics #prisonLitigation #trueStories #vexatiousLitigant #weirdNews #writing
Want to understand how Israel fights terrorism differently? This gripping account reads like a thriller but it's all true.
#Books #Bookreview #TrueStories #IsraeliIntelligence #BookClub #ReadingList
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/israels-financial-warfare-harpoon-review/
Surviving the Illegal Paris Catacombs: True Stories From the Darkest Tunnels Below Paris #ParisCatacombs #Catacombs #UrbanExploration #Urbex #DarkHistory
#CreepyPlaces #TrueStories #RealSurvival #UndergroundWorld #HiddenParis
#MysteryLovers #WeirdHistory #UnbelievableButTrue #historyfacts https://www.gsnsp.com/survival-illegal-paris-catacombs-true-stories/
Personal stories make the crisis feel real. Leaders, spies, and soldiers all played a role. Their actions mattered.
#Books #BookLovers #TrueStories #ads
{aff} https://amzn.to/3WYmuVq
Step into the shadowy aftermath of WWII and uncover extraordinary stories of survival, deception, and escape. This curated list of 5 powerful reads on Nazi escapes reveals hidden histories and unforgettable true accounts that still resonate today.
Discover the books here: https://www.johnwweiser.com/5-recommended-reads-on-nazi-escapes/
#WWII #History #Nonfiction #BookRecommendations #WarHistory #TrueStories #HistoricalReads #Books
Today's reflection:
When emailing someone highlighting that I'm asking something of them as "I'm getting a bit of heat from my boss..." it's really really important to proofread and ensure I didn't type "head" instead of "heat".
Love true spy stories? Marc Vargo's book on Mossad landmark spy missions is your next great read.
#books #TrueStories #SpyLovers #MustRead
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/mossad-landmark-spy-missions/
Declan Power’s *Siege at Jadotville* brings this forgotten battle to life. It’s a story of courage, leadership, and survival.
#MustRead #IrishHistory #TrueStories #Books
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/siege-at-jadotville-book-review-irish-army-forgotten-battle/
We have moved our bedding out onto the window ledge overlooking the city, to get a better look at the alien ship hovering over the city. #Photography #BlackAndWhite #TrueStories
True Stories: Gay Memories – Meeting Another Gay Person For The First Time
At 17-years-old, I had no idea if I’d ever encountered another gay person. I probably had, but I lived during times when being out and gay could put your life in danger.
Gay MemoriesI had my suspicions about who I thought was gay, such as the bus driver who lived on the next street. Even though his bus wasn’t going in the direction I wanted, I’d ride around on it so I could see him and hoped he’d notice me.
There was one way I thought would guarantee me meeting gay people, but it meant breaking the law – a law I thought was stupid. What was wrong with a 17-year-old lad answering an advert in Gay News?
South Wales area – a genuine, nice guy in his early 40s, looking to meet other guys who haven’t come out yet. Maybe we could help each other? Write to Richard at Box 223D, Gay News, London…
Richard remained on my mind for a few weeks after reading the advert. Like me, he hadn’t ‘come out’ as gay. But unlike me, he was over the age of consent, 21, when sleeping with someone of the same sex was not illegal.
The constant bragging about which girls he had slept with from Michael, my best friend, eventually persuaded me to put pen to paper and respond to Richard’s advert. While Michael could sleep with as many girls as he wanted, I thought it unfair that it was illegal for me to meet and sleep with other guys.
I can’t remember what I said in my letter to Richard, but I lied about my age. I had to; otherwise, he may not respond. Or he could have reported me to the police. Fortunately, his advert did not mention sending a photo, so I didn’t have to prove I was 21.
It took me a week to post my reply. Every time I approached the postbox at the bottom of the street, police sirens would sound in my head.
The thought of Richard having my home address and turning up unannounced also terrified me. But the more Michael bragged about who he had slept with and questioned why I was still a virgin, the more courage I got. Finally, I posted the letter after convincing myself that I’d run away to London if Richard turned up. I’d be safe with so many other gay people living there.
A month later, not only had I not had a reply from Richard, but I’d also placed an advert in the lonelyhearts column of Gay News.
21-year-old gay guy looking to make new friends and meet his first boyfriend. Currently living in South Wales, but looking to live and work in London. Age/looks unimportant, but please send a photo. Write to Rob at Box D867, Gay News, London…
Two weeks after my advert appeared, I came home from work to find my mother holding an envelope.
“It’s for you. Whose handwriting is this? I don’t recognise it,” she examined.
Terrified that she was about to tear the letter open, I snatched it off her and ran upstairs, shouting that I’d got a new pen-pal. Fortunately, my mother knew that I had pen-pals and liked to write letters, although she had failed to notice that the stamp on the envelope was British, not foreign.
I was trembling at the thought that my mother could have forced me to come out of the closet had she opened the letter. I’d convinced myself that if the family found out I was gay, I’d be homeless.
Studying the envelope closely, I was too scared to open it and placed it in the same place I’d hid my copies of Gay News – under the carpet under my bed.
Two weeks later, as I climbed into the passenger seat of a car, I was greeted with the words ‘Hi, I’m Richard. I’m a little nervous, but it’s finally good to meet you, Hugh.”
I was meeting who I thought was the first gay person in my life.
But the following day, I would be threatened again with coming out of the closet.
“Who’s car did I see you getting into yesterday?” asked Michael.
Who was the first gay person you met?
https://twitter.com/carolbrady0/status/1533529636646404098?s=20&t=bRTgHShUKUbPfKXqgJP2ZA
Copyright © 2022 hughsviewsandnews.com – All rights reserved.
#FirstTime #Gay #GayBars #GayFiction #GayLife #GayMan #LGBT #LGBTQI #Memories #TrueStories #TrueStory
True Stories: Gay Memories – The Day My Life Changed #LGBTQI #LGBT
When I woke up that Saturday morning, little did I know that something I was hiding from view from others was about to have the key put in the ignition and set me off on a journey that was to become the life I was born with.
True Stories: Gay MemoriesIt was a Saturday morning like any other Saturday morning. I always got up first because I’m an early bird.
After breakfast, I’d sit down and watch Multi-Coloured Swap Shop – a children’s TV show on Saturday morning.
The fact that I was 17 years old didn’t put me off from watching it. I loved watching it. It got my weekend off to a perfect start.
Just after midday, I always went into town to buy an array of snacks for myself for the evening. I still preferred to spend Saturday evenings indoors watching television like I did on Saturday mornings.
My parents thought it unusual for a boy my age to want to stay in on a Saturday evening. At the time, I thought they knew nothing about why I did not want to go out. Years later, I discovered my mother had already suspected I was gay.
Whereas boys my age were going out to drink alcohol and date girls, my Saturday evening treat was the snacks (including a small trifle from Marks & Spencer) and Saturday evening television.
I always visited the same shops to browse or buy something. On this particular Saturday, though, something I’d seen on TV that morning made me go into a shop I hardly ever visited.
Scanning the shelves full of newspapers and magazines for the music newspaper I wanted, it soon caught my eye.
On the front was a picture of the singing duo Chas and Dave. I didn’t particularly like their music, but I found both men sexually attractive.
Picking up the newspaper, I flicked through it, pretending not to notice the picture and taking little, if any, notice of who was around me.
Towards the back of the newspaper, I stumbled upon the advertisement section, and one of the adverts immediately got my attention.
It was a significant point in my life that opened a door and invited me to step through.
I didn’t personally know any other gay people, yet here was an advert in a music newspaper about a world I belonged to yet knew little of.
Gay?
Then you should read Gay News.
Once fortnightly.
For a copy, send a postal order for (I can’t remember how much) to –
At that moment, a member of staff entered the shop and shouted over to the cashier –
“I see the library is open again, Karen.”
She was referring to me and a few other customers who were all flicking through various newspapers and magazines. I quickly closed the paper to see if anybody noticed me reading the advert.
At that point, I wanted to put down the paper and rush out of the shop, but the chance of being in touch with other gay people stopped me from doing so.
I told myself to be brave, quickly walked over to Karen, and nervously placed the newspaper by the cash register. “Got everything you need today?” she asked me as she pushed the keys on the cash register.
Nodding my head, I could feel myself blushing. I thought she knew which advert I’d been reading and was about to stand up and announce, ‘This one’s queer!” Of course, that never happened.
As I walked home, my heartbeat raced. I kept looking behind to check if anyone was following me. After all, unlike my straight friends, it was still illegal for me (as a gay man) to have sex with a same-sex partner until I was 21.
Precisely one week later, I waited patiently for the postman to arrive. When my first copy of Gay News came through the letterbox, I rushed downstairs before anybody else got to the post.
I was relieved that the people at Gay News did as they had promised to do in their advertisement. My copy of the paper arrived in a plain brown envelope.
My hands shook as I took the envelope up to my bedroom. Carefully tearing it open, I allowed the life I’d been hiding to start coming out of the closet.
Have you ever had a life-changing moment? Contact me if you’d like to share the details in a guest post.
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True Stories: Confessions Of A Gay Man – Boyfriends
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#LGBTQHistory #BeingGay #ComingOut #GayLife #GayNews #LGBT #LGBTQI #Music #Television #TrueStories #TrueStory
How A Journey Of A Million Miles Showed Me The Value Of Home – A Guest Post by Paul Ariss
I’m delighted to introduce Paul Ariss to my blog. Paul is a songwriter, screenwriter and new to blogging.
Guest blog post by Paul ArissPaul shares a true story about travel which gave me goosebumps when I read it because I knew exactly what he was experiencing.
Over to you, Paul.
Image Credit – Paul ArissIn the early evening of Wednesday, 28th October 1987 I walked into a bar in rain-sodden Flagstaff, Arizona with Randy Jones, a two-tour Vietnam vet.
I’d met Randy hours earlier that day, just minutes after midnight in Albuquerque bus station.
Randy was a mad-eyed but good-hearted individual who happened to be stopping off in Flagstaff himself on the way west to an altogether different destination. Randy and I were polar opposites.
Probably fifteen years older but with a lifetime more living, Randy had fought the Vietnamese in the Mekong Delta and had spent the last two months in a cave in the Rocky Mountains killing animals for his supper.
I was a pasty-faced young English office-worker whose closest shave with conflict was with a drunk in an airport who’d subsequently fallen over his own suitcase.
Yet somehow, me and Randy hit it off immediately.
After getting off our Greyhound bus and booking into our motels we decided to find a local bar, and there we laughed about the cultural differences between the US and the UK, and I let him tell as little as he felt able to share about his time as marine.
Mostly however he was fascinated about my overwhelming desire to see the country that had demanded of him as a young man to go and fight but had largely abandoned him since he returned home.
We were joined after a short time by a huge bear of a Native American man who largely just smiled and kept his own council.
But it’s true to say this night I was restless and struggled to stay convivial. After a couple of beers, I made my excuses and headed back to my motel. I had an inexplicable need to be alone.
By now the late afternoon had given way to early evening and the darkness through my motel window matched my state of mind.
Keeping Hold Of The Promise To Myself
Just ten years earlier I had made a vow to myself that I was now just hours away from fulfilling. At the time of the promise I was unemployed, and giving £5 of the £7 per week Social Security to my recently widowed father for board and keep.
Contrary to the punk counter-culture so many youths of my age were immersed in at the time, I was spending my days listening to the Eagles and dreaming of the open highways of America.
But I was a dreamer without substance. On the day I signed on for social security benefits, I was two-thirds of the way through an 18-months stint of unemployment.
Drenched by a steady drizzling rain, I needed something to aim for, something so far removed from my current situation to be almost too ludicrous to consider.
And then it came to me. I made the decision that one day I would get to The Grand Canyon.
Geographically it was over five thousand miles away from my small town in north-west England, though metaphorically it felt closer to a million. But right at that moment the thought of eventually getting there made the day feel that little bit more bearable.
And so it was, with a decade of steady employment behind me and a modest but committed savings plan I had enough for the journey and sufficient fire in my belly to make the trip.
My anticipation had remained unquenchable and here I was finally about to satisfy that first.
So why was I so downbeat on the eve of seeing one of the most stunning areas of natural beauty on earth?
When The Final Step Is The Hardest
I was lonely. Not for company, but for home.
I had been travelling on buses for nearly three weeks criss-crossing from one exciting destination to another on a plan of my own volition taking in New York City, Niagara Falls, Philadelphia, Nashville, Gracelands, Dallas, Denver; almost every day a new adventure, a new place I’d always heard about but never thought I’d visit.
Yet now, the day before reaching the destination I had planned and saved for over a decade, was the time I most wanted to be home.
The irony was crushing. I sat on the floor of my motel room and wept. Just a little. This feeling wasn’t what I had planned for.
I turned on the TV, a recording of Billy Joel live in Russia from two months earlier, the first rock star to play there post-Glasnost. Though not a massive Billy Joel fan, his energised demeanour helped fire me up.
“Don’t take shit off no-one”, Joel told an ecstatic crowd, each one no doubt loving the feeling of finally being able to let loose after a lifetime of social repression.
Oddly, a spark re-lit within me, enough to pick my emotions up off the floor and settle them enough to sleep after my long day of travelling.
I awoke the next day and pulled back the curtains to a welcoming early sunrise.
A slightly worse-for-wear Randy joined me for breakfast, telling me how the Native American had carried him back to his motel room at 2am. It seems I was right to have left early!
Randy saw me get on the shuttle bus that left for the Canyon.
Image Credit: Paul ArissLess than two hours later with a barely controllable anticipation I walked through a huge double door to finally see the most incredible, majestic wonder I’ve ever witnessed.
I smiled broadly and said hello to the Grand Canyon. We had finally met. I had travelled the millionth mile.
Image Credit: Paul ArissIt had been a long, long journey but worth every step.
Later I thought about Billy Joel, performing so far from home yet feeling a kindred bond with strangers who had lived a life so culturally at odds with everything he knew. And I thought of my new friend Randy who had met someone in me who had expressed a feeling for his own country he had maybe lost something of over the years.
I thought of the Native American whose forefathers had their land ripped from them by Randy’s ancestors, yet felt the simple human instinct to carry him back to where was safe.
And as I turned away from the Grand Canyon at the end of that day my mind went back to where this had all begun and where for me the greatest riches still lay.
Home.
Writer and Blogger Paul ArissPaul started off as a lyricist in a song-writing partnership, before branching out into writing scripts. He’s now back to music, writing and recording solo material.
As a songwriter Paul has had songs published as part of a partnership, and as a solo writer has reached the semi-final of the UK Songwriting Contest and had a track chosen as Pick of The Week on a New York based online radio station.
As a script writer Paul has had material used on BBC radio shows on Radio 2, 4 and 5, and has been short-listed in two major script-writing contests as well as working as a Shadow Writer on Channel 4 comedy-drama Shameless, where he also contributed to its online platform.
Paul is new to blogging after getting the blogging bug in May 2020. He plans to increase his output very soon! His blog is called Songs and Scripts and Dunking Biscuits and can be followed by clicking here.
Songs from Paul are now on Spotify, and all major streaming platforms have music videos to accompany them on YouTube, all of which can be accessed via his songwriting Facebook page.
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Have you ever encountered the feelings Paul shared in his guest post?
My thanks to Paul for writing this guest post. If you have any questions or comments for Paul, please leave them in the comments section. He’d be delighted to hear from you.
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