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"Have sex!" That was my good friend Aaron's favourite saying. Whether as greeting or farewell, Aaron would smile broadly and say this phrase, his credo, if you will. He would even say it loudly on the street as he wheeled passed by bystanders. And, in dull, serious meetings, Aaron took particular joy in shaking things up by saying "Have sex!" or laughing (heh heh heh) at any comment he heard that had even the slightest double entendre.
Aaron was like me in that we both communicated by several different means: low-tech communication boards with letters, words, and phrases on them; gestures; facial expressions; eye gaze; and, verbalizing.
Aaron would verbalize "Have sex!" with great glee and abandon. His closest friends understood what he was saying, of course, but strangers had trouble with his dialect - and, honestly, this was part of the joke to Aaron! He could say any risque thing he wanted, and most strangers would smile and nod patronizingly at him. Either that, or he would be completely ignored.
It is not my intent to be overly analytical here and now, but perhaps one of the reasons why Aaron said and did such outrageous things was so that he could be recognized and respected as a human being with thoughts, feelings, and desires like anyone else. His quirky, in-your-face attitude was, in my humble opinion, a way in which he could deal with a society that had turned its back on him in so many ways.
As implied here, Aaron loved sex with a passion! He thought people should just chill out, forget their troubles and hang-ups, and just have sex. Aaron thought most of the world's problems could be solved if we took more time to pleasure each other. Not a bad theory, really.
March 30, 2012, marked the second year of Aaron's death from cancer. To honour the memory of the man we loved, a bunch of my friends and I went and got tattoos and then had drinks at Aaron's favourite bar, the Black Bull.
We all decided to get words from Aaron's communication board tattooed on ourselves, words that had special meaning for each of us.
Aaron's communication board #1 |
Aaron's communication board #2 |
Aaron's communication board #3 |
try |
machine |
life |
A blank square, symbolizing all Aaron had said in his lifetime and what he might have said. |
And I, of course, got -
have sex |
Have sex, Aaron... wherever you are. We love you!