Even Smelly Fish Get Hungry

How can Thomas be so spontaneously open minded, understanding and supportive when threatening things come to him?Then, after sleeping on it, how can his waking mind be so weary? After all he is not being deceived when informed that the opposition is working his cunning maneuverings. On the contrary, he is being treated honestly for about the first time in his life.

As in a chess game, you don't have to really know your opponent once you see his opening attack. It helps though, after you play a few times to see what surprises are up his sleeve, but from one chess player to the next, the game is bound by certain parameters, and the first game is no less important than the last or all in between.

Thomas, in his pre-dawn routine was for the first time in a long time out of of sorts. His thankful acknowledgement to the Supreme Being for the gift of a new day was unconsciously overlooked. The shower was hot, and the razor was dull.

He was reminded of a wake up call by a wise teacher from long ago who would ask him out of the blue "What is it that you are afraid of"?

"Why, I'm not afraid of anything".

"But what are you afraid of".

"Nothing". On some days this would be an endless dialog between the teacher and the student. One day Thomas got it and answered his teacher, who happened to be a Marine sergeant type guy, rough, tough and no nonsense. Thomas thought he was really a Zen Master disguised as brawny red neck. His divine goodness could only be seen by spending hours and days and months with this teacher before his godly goodness came through both in teaching results and his appearance.

He was also reminded of a framed quip he saw on a wall a long long time ago:

If you love something let it go free.

If it doesn't come back, you never had it.

If it comes back, love it forever.

Thomas knows that the opposition is not always the enemy, but more often than not, they are?

Thomas knows that the no matter if in peace and war, we're all in this together and when something smells fishy, there is usually a hunger.