Henry Winkler, beloved for his role as Fonzie on Happy Days, had a childhood far from the glamorous image associated with celebrities. Born to immigrant parents who escaped Nazi Germany, Winkler faced challenges due to an undiagnosed reading disorder.
His parents, unaware of his dyslexia, labeled him as “dumb” and even referred to him as a ‘Dummo Hund,’ or dumb dog. Teachers and peers followed suit, leading to a difficult upbringing that impacted his self-image.
Despite these hardships, Winkler pursued his dreams relentlessly. Applying to 28 colleges, he secured admission to two and eventually received an acceptance letter from the prestigious Yale School of Drama. His talent shone during an improvised Shakespearean monologue, catapulting him to success.
While thriving on-screen, portraying the charismatic Fonzie, Winkler grappled with dyslexia affecting his reading and coordination. Even when offered the lead role in Grease, he declined to avoid typecasting.
At 31, Winkler’s perspective changed during his stepson Jed’s dyslexia test. Realizing they shared the struggle, Winkler acknowledged dyslexia as a barrier that had silently impacted his life. Overcoming auditions by memorizing scripts, he used humor to mask any inadequacies, claiming he provided the ‘essence of the character.’
Post-Happy Days, Winkler ventured into various acting roles and contributed to creating the MacGyver series. Despite transitional phases, his determination and talent prevailed, showcasing that overcoming personal struggles could lead to significant accomplishments.
Henry Winkler’s journey from being labeled “dumb” to becoming a beloved figure highlights the power of determination and talent in achieving greatness. His story serves as an inspiration, emphasizing that personal challenges can be conquered with resilience and dedication.
So I am at Walmart scanning and bagging my almost $300 worth of groceries while the employee that wants $15 an hour “monitors” and then this happened.
So I am at Walmart scanning and bagging my almost $300
So I am at Walmart scanning and bagging my almost $300 worth of groceries while the employee that wants $15 an hour “monitors” and then this happened.
Her – why are you double bagging all of your groceries?
Me – excuse me?
Her – you are wasting our bags!
Me – if you don’t like the way I’m bagging the groceries, feel free to come on over here and bag them yourself.
Her – that’s not my job!
Me – okay, then I will bag my groceries how I please if that’s all right with you.
Her – why are you using two bags?!
Me – because the bags are weak and I don’t want the handles to break or the bottoms to rip out.
Her – well that’s because you are putting too much stuff in the bag. If you took half of that stuff out and put it in a different bag then you wouldn’t need to double bag.
*10 seconds of me just staring at her.
Me – so you want me to split these items in half and put half of them in a different bag so that I don’t have to double bag.
Her – exactly.
Me – so I would still be using two bags to hold the same number of items.
Her – no because you wouldn’t be double bagging.
*me pressing two fingers to my left eye in an attempt to make it stop twitching.
Me – okay so here I have a jug of milk and a bottle of juice double bagged. If I take the milk out and remove the double bagging and just put the milk in the single bag and the juice in that single bag I’m still using two bags for these two items.
Her- no because you are not double bagging them so it’s not the same number of bags.
*me looking around at about 10 other customers who at this point are enjoying the show.
Me- is this like that Common Core math stuff I keep hearing about?
Her- never mind you just don’t get it.
And with that, she went back to her little Podium so she could continue texting or playing games on her phone or whatever it was she was doing before she decided to come over and critique my bagging skills.
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