Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, the “scriptures” for pursuing our quest for our inner Ladmo has been a tongue-in-cheek religious spoof.  It was written in the spirit of other writings on Boomerocity to help remind us of the basic things in life that we learned in our childhood.  While the series was not intended to poke fun at the serious aspects of any religion, it was intended to poke good natured fun at some of the aspects that are debatable.  Most of you “got it”.  Some of you didn’t.

Sigh.

These lessons from our past and personified in the characters from the Wallace and Ladmo Show are still applicable today.  Things like: being courteous and mindful of the needs of others; showing one’s self friendly; lending a helpful hand to those in need; and being much less self-centered.  In the anxious and troubled world we live in today, narcissism and coldness towards our fellow man can tend to become more prevalent.  This is preventable and it’s in our control to be a better us. 

A lot more could have been said about what each of the characters represented but I believe that the more salient points were made.  It’s my hope that all of us dust off some of those basics we learned as kids and re-apply those lessons to our lives today. 

Will we reach our “inner Ladmo” by doing some of the things suggested in this series?  I’ll leave it to you to try it out and then let me know.  All I can say is that practicing these traits more in my life have helped me get through some rough spots in life and to be a true friend to more people than I ever imagined I could. 

As for the Wallace and Ladmo Show, if you weren’t privileged to have been able to watch that show as a kid, you really missed out.  Without getting too terribly mushy about it, I can honestly say that the show was my only “friend” for a period of time. 

My family moved to the Phoenix area from Huntsville, Alabama, while I was in the middle of 4^th grade.  Instead of a wild west town where everyone was friendly and rode horse, I was greeted by a fast growing metropolis in the desert southwest and by kids who mercilessly made fun of my southern accent.  One kid in particular would wait for me after school so that he could beat me up just because of my accent.

After running all the way home to try to keep from being beat into a bowl of grits, I would hold back tears while I got a snack and take my seat in front of the TV.  It was there that I discovered the wonderful world of the Wallace and Ladmo Show. 

For a brief period of time every weekday, I could escape the misery of 4^th grade and lose myself in the smiles and laughter freely provided by the characters in the show.  The pretend fights and arguments were even entertaining to me because I knew that it was all make-believe. 

Over the next couple of years, I tried like crazy to win a Ladmo Bag, to no avail.  However, what I did “win” was a lot of great memories provided by some men who stand tall in my personal hall of fame.  Those guys are Bill Thompson, the incredibly talented Pat McMahon and, of course, the late Ladimir “Ladmo” Kwiatkowski.

While this whole series of articles has been fun to write, being reminded of the life-lessons of my youth has been priceless.  Perhaps you will find it equally as valuable.  If you do, then I’m sure that you’ll join me in thanking Wallace, Ladmo and the gang for the warm and laughter.

Thanks, fellas and especially you, Ladmo.

Finding My Inner Ladmo               The Inner Capt. Super and Bobby Jo Trouble       The Inner Mr. Grudgemeyer

The Inner Marshall Good              The Inner Aunt Maude & Boffo The Clown           The Inner Wizard

The Inner Gerald              The Golden Ladmo Bag