This is Charlo, a dyed-in-the-wool playground berserker in the classical tradition of free-range school-yard crews. Charlo is the blue part of the flame; he is the streaking Peregrine, the curling, dancing rapid, the gleaming tip of the arrow. He feels his spirit hard.
In the early days, Charlo’s swirling energy would sometimes burst through a seam, like steam through a crack in the surface of the earth. It took time, diligence, and arduous work for him to create channels to contain that energy. But create them he did, like one of those ancient Chinese Emperors who built the great earthworks to keep the rivers at bay. He says the heart of the matter was “learning communication.”
At school, Charlo is outside a lot, absorbed in sledding hard, running fast, and RPGs. Inside, he’s heavy into MineCraft. He can twist his tongue, bend his hand backwards until you cringe, and jump into bakasana. He says he likes HVSS because “it’s so fun.” And we like you, Charlo, because you feel so fiercely, and you’re not afraid to grow, even though it hurts, and because you’re such a passionate friend, and because, well, you’re so fun. We’re grateful to you; we wanted to tell you.