20 February

Art And Me. “Thank God For Chess.” We Play On Thursday

by Jon Katz
Thank God For Chess

I brought Art a gift today, a T-shirt I found online that says “Thank God For Chess,” with a cross on the bottom.

He loved it, and put it right on, taking off one of his Biblical quotes he wears to stir the waters. He challenged me to a match, we are playing at 2 p.m. Thursday in his room. Art is new to chess, another resident, Tim, has begun playing with him, and he says it fits him. Everyone says he loves it.

Art said he loves a challenge, and hoped I wouldn’t mind beating him, he didn’t want me to hold back. Are you kidding?,I said. You can ask Maria if I hold back in chess. I warned him that I am frighteningly competitive, and will kick his ass if I possibly can, the worse the better.

He says he doesn’t doubt it.

I had a good long talk with Art today, he shared a few battles he has been having with the staff an one or two residents. Art believes God sent him to the Mansion to make sure it is run properly and when he sees something he doesn’t like, he speaks up, sometimes too often and sometimes too loudly.

The staff at the Mansion can take care of themselves and they usually work it out with Art. I realized today that Art thinks I will abandon him because he sometimes is a troublemaker, and he knows some of his views are not popular. He knows I am close to the staff.

I explained to him that I don’t get involved in internal things at the Mansion, I just do my work as a volunteer, and I would not might abandon him for speaking up. I won’t,  it is not my business. From where I sit, I said the Mansion staff works hard every day and cares deeply about the people who live there, they do wonders with the limited resources that they have.

I said I am not as angry as he is, nor as judgmental and God didn’t tell me much about my work at the Mansion, other than perhaps giving me the idea to do good when I can. And to walk gently on the earth.

A Christian idea I have embraced, I said, was empathy and compassion for the vulnerable. Even  him, I said, half-joking. It is strange, Art gets me, we have a very curious but strong connection to one another.

I told him  seeing him every day would probably send me over the edge, but I look forward to our meeting once or twice a week. I told him about boundaries, they are important to me, and I  try hard to mind my own business.

I look forward to playing chess with Art. Since he started playing, I think he has settled and calmed a bit. I remember times in my life when playing chess was a kind of meditation for me, it settled the storm in my head.  Art’s faith sometimes leads him to anger.

Mine leads me in a different direction. But we are connected to one another, brothers in some way I don’t understand.

I said I thought the residents and staff might like this new T-shirt more than some of the others he sometimes wears.

I told him I’d see him Thursday, he should prepare to get his ass whupped. That will really piss him off.

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