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slats in the bridge The story of Peter Mossman

For young and naive Peter Mossman life did not come without its challenges. He grew up in a small town with a large family, and his youth was complicated at times. From a young age he knew he was gay, but he had to stay in the closet to protect his twin from being accused of being gay like him. In his early 20's, his father passed away. It was hard to keep going and navigating the world so young without his father in his life.

Peter and his twin brother, George

Now in his 50's, he has new struggles on his list of hardships, the biggest one being dislocating his knee three months ago. He found himself out of a job. He had been a nanny, but this injury would not be suitable for the job, so he had to leave and take several months off for healing.

Peter and his family

When asked about how he got through the struggles with his knee, he stated that his motivation was through being a part of The Last Waltz, a concert performed by local musicians at The Steamplant. Unfortunately for him, he could not participate this year because of his injury, so the community came together and let him sing in a small band and practice leading up to the big show. He said another factor of his motivation would be his family in Salida coming to the show. He expressed how happy he is to have his twin brother live across the street, stating “ having a family across the street and always knowing that they are there connects me to my larger family.”

Peter with members of the Salida Circus

Because Peter doesn't see his blood relatives as often as he would like, he considers his large network of friends here in the Salida his family. Peter grew up living in a traditional house with a white picket fence, mom and dad, ten kids, and food always cooking in the kitchen. He and his twin were the youngest. At six years old his mom and dad got a divorce. Time passed and he came to terms with it. Even though it was hard, his mom and dad both remarried and maintained a good relationship. “My family is very open and accepting. We use a lot of humor,” he says with a sweet smile.

Peter at The Last Waltz

When asked what the most important lesson he had learned through his life was, he answered with, “You don't burn a bridge in life, but as you walk along the bridge some of the slats fall off so you can still navigate going back. You just have to be careful to not fall through.”

Peter as a teenager

Peters biggest challenge right now is staying positive through his injury. He said “ I was really mad at my knee in that it was really hurting, and I didn't know what was wrong then one day I sat down and I chose to say to my body, 'Okay, you are not really working and you really hurt, but instead of saying I'm angry with you, thank you for getting me this far without injury for 50 years.” He shows that even through all this hardship, you can be happy and see the light at the end of the tunnel. I asked him how he wanted to end the interview and he said, “I will end with a quote by The Grateful Dead. Once in a while you can be shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.”