Boys Will Be Boys…

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By Mark Koruba

I made a friend this year. At fifty-three I consider that an accomplishment. For the purpose of not revealing his identity I will refer to him as Brody.

Brody is forty-seven residing in the Phoenix area. He is an upbeat bright dude. He is also incredibly open about his childhood that was filled with abuse. His father is a former Berkeley professor that decided it was best to drop off the grid completely. He brought his wife to a commune in Arizona. They had nothing, grew some of their own food and also grew lots of weed. Soon Brody, the eldest, and his siblings came along. Being the oldest Brody suffered the brunt of the abuse. He was not allowed to attend school. He was regularly abused physically and mentally. He was forced to consume marijuana infused foods from the age of seven. He was pushed into sexual situations with girls his age when he turned nine. He and his family resided in shelters made of plastic sheeting.

Brody left “home” at fourteen, essentially illiterate and broke in a lot of ways. He found work on a pig farm and lived there for five years. In that time, he taught himself to read and write. He moved on to find work at a manufacturing plant that he now manages. This guy is one of the toughest humans I have ever encountered.

I suffered some physical and mental abuse as a child, but nothing in comparison to what Brody went through. In our conversations I talked about how I essentially had the run of Chicago by the age of 12. Attending my first concert that year, UFO at the Amphitheater. How I attended Blackhawks, White Sox and Bears games with friends. How we all spent time downtown, on the beaches of Lake Michigan and the museums on our own. How we were constantly discovering new things and new people.

Talking to Brody was a revelation for me. It illustrated that a childhood I thought was bad was a thing of real beauty and how fortunate I was to live that life. I found myself being grateful instead of resentful. I thanked him for helping me come to that realization.

Joni Mitchell has brought the world beautiful music in her 50+ years as a singer/songwriter/musician. This song is a favorite and often brings a tear or two of joy.

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