Joshua Price: Kid Hero

Growing up there were kids you looked up to. They sometimes were way older then you or just a couple of years. As I've gotten older 2 things have happened, I've always remembered the pivotal kid of cool and secondly that I look up to kids younger then me too.

So here's Joshua Price.

First off we all called him Josh.

Josh was held down one grade for some reason and this made me connect to him as this cool guy that was normal like me cuz i got held down a grade in 3rd grade for not knowing enough english (i had recently moved to the states from France and had struggled with much grammar/spelling/pronunciation of the English language).

Josh could do any sport flawlessly, and especially basketball, by 7th-8th grade he could grab the rim and then slam a basketball (i was happy to grab the net) Josh could throw the meanest ball during 'knock down the pins' basically a dodge ball game that had 2 sides with 2 pins on either side of the court to be knocked down.

Josh showed us that Air Jordans were the shoes to wear, we were all Chicago Bulls fans, and he didn't show us by telling us, we just revered him and what Josh wore made it cool to wear. I fondly remember walking out of school one day next to him and he had his old Jordans tied together over his shoulders (because he had just got the new ones )and asked if i wanted them. I was shocked that he would choose me to pass them down to, i smiled my acceptance and wore the 10.5 size shoe on my size 7 feet for the rest of the school year.

Josh showed us that talking to girls was actually cool, but not to go all flirty on them, but to treat them like a friend, like he would treat one of us.

Josh showed us that our hair could be long or buzzed short and still be cool. I quickly wanted the shaved head with a little more growth on top like he did.

Josh Showed me that when you order hamburgers from a fast food chain that you can eat more then one burger, Josh's mom in the front seat 'josh how many burgers do you want?' "i'll take two" Josh's mom "how many will you have tommy?" "i'll take two as well". Josh showed us the importance of doing homework and fun, he had to work for his grades but he always did his homework when it came to it.

Josh passed onto us cool phrases and fart sounds, he past down us good 'melon peels' (thats when you palm someones head and pull up like the opposite of the egg melting on your knee trick done with your collected fingers spreading to your palm).

Josh had 2 older brothers who were cool too, but Josh would still go to church even if they didn't.

Josh showed us it was cool to talk to our teachers, to treat them like our friends.

Josh showed us compassion in the way he talked to our friend who was crippled from a nasty accident when she was in first grade.

Josh was always ready for something next, ready to move.

Josh is still my hero.




(These are the Air Jordans that Josh gave to me, a little
less spiffy and new as these, but more valuable!)