For over 40 years, I have been to many destinations. Here is a tour of a few of them.
We are going to start with Civil Brands prison near downtown Los Angeles It is no longer there. I was invited to teach a class at the prison. There were about 300 female prisoners who came to this class. On the stage there were 2 security guards. I invited about 10 ladies to come on stage with me. They went crazy! They were screaming and yelling and singing to all of the songs.
After class, one of the ladies came up to me to hug me. I told the security guards that it was ok. She looked in my eyes and said you have beautiful legs and gave me a little slap on my left tushie. Another lady was full of tattoos and she said to me. “I think I am going to put a tattoo of your face on my back.”
My friend, Phyllis Diller, wanted to know if I would be willing to dance with some of her friends….I said, “Of course Phyllis. I went in and there were two black curtains. Phyllis said, “Go through those curtains and say hi to my friends.” And there were 40 to 50 men and women… completely naked. …so I began teaching. Then Phyllis told me I was on a television show and it was just a joke. They all put robes on and I signed autographs for about an hour.
I then went all over Canada to help raise money for mammogram machines. The last place I went to was Newfoundland …I boarded a propeller plane. It was snowing and I said to the pilot, “Should we be flying in this weather?” He said, “Yes it is ok I will get you there.” I wanted to get there in one piece. LOL
I went to Cleveland to do a show called The Morning Exchange. After the show a lady came up to me and said, “My mother is terminally ill and she is your number one fan. Would you please come visit her?” The answer, of course, was yes. We drove to a trailer park and I went in to see her mom. She was laying in bed. I pulled up a chair and sat next to her. She told me she was very sore. And from her chair we did some exercises together.
Next a visit to upstate New York, I was asked to teach a class at the Rochester school for the deaf. They put the large speakers on the floor so everyone could feel the rhythm.
After I was finished, they taught me how to say I love you in sign language.
While in Florida, two ladies got in touch with me and asked me to teach a class to some very special adults and children. I went and the house was filled with individuals who had Down Syndrome. They knew I was coming and they hugged me so tight……to be continued…
Love,
Richard
