All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things

“Larry Walters” tells the story of a truck driver who, unable to become a pilot due to financial and educational constraints, achieved his dream of flying in an unusual way—and, in so doing, becomes a “hero” to Fulghum. Larry ties 45 helium balloons to an aluminum lawn chair, enabling him to soar to 11,000 feet and cross into the flight path of Los Angeles International Airport. His unconventional flight draws media attention, but Larry is a man of few words. His rationale for the activity was simple: “You can’t just sit there” (37). For Fulghum, this pronouncement is what truly sets Larry Walters apart from other people. Humanity, Fulghum writes, has a tendency to “just sit there,” believing everything is hopeless; meanwhile, people like Larry, who pursue seemingly impossible dreams, are necessary to expand humanity’s sense of the possible.

Fulghum admits that, after writing about Larry Walters’s flight in 1982—and celebrating it for years afterward—he’s learned that he got some things wrong. Some of the details are minor, such as what Larry took with him in the chair. Others are more significant, such as the fact that the ascent was 16,000 feet rather than 11,000—well into commercial airspace.