How do you describe one of your best friends? Do you talk about his natural talent? Do you say how great a guy he is? Or do you say how he is just a dork?
Cody Werner, is someone who I can say a lot about, and still not even come close to describing him adequately. He is a renaissance man, an individual who possesses a distinct personality that sets him apart. Simply put, he is like no one else I have ever met. Cody keeps it real in the face of opposition, even when no one else is baking him up. He is someone who is consistently dedicated to what he believes. Cody’s actions have proven this many times, and Ive often found myself looking at them for inspiration.
At school, his uniqueness is misinterpreted. His laid back attitude is misconceived as laziness. His unique opinions are sometimes thought of as insulting and taken personal; when in fact Cody only making observations. He sees the world like no else. I met Cody three years ago when I moved to Santa Rosa. Since then I have been inspired countless times to remain true to myself. At a time where so many people are narrow-minded and hypocritical, Cody has kept it real.
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I went to Lake Tahoe with him recently. It was around three a.m. and we were both hungry. We had just come from the casinos to search for some, real, non-over priced food. We drove around for about 15 minutes, but no places were open. Just as we had given up hope, we drove past a Dennys, not what we had in mind. Never the less we were hungry and willing to save a few dollars on bargain food. As we sat in our booth, Cody observed a young man sitting at the bar, no more than ten feet away from us. Cody observed this gentlemen as he ate his food and talked with a woman, who Im guessing was his girlfriend. After a few minutes of watching this man, Cody really got in to it.
“What the f–k? Dude, that really pisses me off look at this guy over here. Hes sittin there eating his chicken wings, when all that chick wants to do is get out this place so they can…but no hes just sitting there sucking on his ranch dressing and chicken wings. Dude! He just spilled some on his shirt. Im gonna get up and hit him Dan! Hes a faglook at him Danjust look it at himit pisses me off!” I know the couple at the bar heard us because an older guy at the far end of the bar was laughing through Codys entire proclamation. He didnt do this to impress anyone or to harass the couple at the bar, he just stated how he felt. He was over dramatic in doing so, but thats the way he is. If you knew him youd understand.
Many people are afraid to open themselves up so much, especially in public. Theyre too afraid of what others might think. At the dark root of this problem is the “whats cool” concern. Whos cool? Whos lame? Were chillin with the cool guys. This guys “the *censored.” That guys a ‘censored”. Those pants are lame and those shoes are wack.
With such a narrow minded view of whats cool you could be standing next to the best person in the world and not realize it, because they are not fitting the frame of whats cool now. Jesus Christ could be standing next to you, but you wouldnt think he was cool because he didnt have the right shoes on or something. Through Codys actions I had realized that it was all up to me to follow my own path. He had shown me that trying to be cool is definitely not.
I had a revelation, based on my own views. I realized that whats cool is what has been and always will be. Doing the right thing even when its not popular or may not be “in fashion.” Be into life for the long run, not just for the fast kill. Try never to injure the spirit of a person or any living thing. Treat people with respect and dignityeven the ones who arent cool.
Unconditional love is pretty cool. Honesty and forgiveness are cool. Writing about whats cool is uncool, and Im almost positive I dont have the right shoes on. I knew these truths before, but I didnt act on them fearing the social consequences of rejection. Cody showed me that as long as you are true to yourself thats all that matters. His ability to always keep it real has inspired me to act out on my beliefs. The response has been unbelievable. People seem to embrace my views and beliefs even if they are different from the norm.
