What I learned from my Father.

Today, Father's day, there was an article in Parade Magazine relating what clebrities had learned from their fathers. I thought I'd share mine. My father started working as toolmaker in a company called Nicholson File. His salary was miniscule. He was married  to Dorothy and had a son Tom. He entered World War II as  an Army private. Shortly afterwards he was captured at the Battle of the Bulge. He spent more than a year in a Nazi prisoner of war camp. When he finally got home he worked for the Post Office for 35 years before retiring. Unfortunately he died two years later from colon cancer. Like many fathers he worked his whole life, had it interrupted and changed by war and tried to live his life as normally as possible. My father worked hard. He wanted to show how far he had come by his possesion of materials things. He bought a house and never finished adding or subtracting something from it. He had Cadillac Eldorado convertibles. He spent months in Miami Beach. From all this I learned that soldiers never talk about war, they keep it inside but never far from the surface. Emotional wounds never heal completely, they scab over ready to be opened. Material things have no feelings and time should be spent with people. No one should retire and not enjoy more than a few years of enjoyment. I hope my kids have learned some positive things from me. Happy Father's Day Dad!

Obstacles

It always seems that just when you feel that you have the world by the gonads, an obstacle appears. Those dreaded obstcales. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, races and genders, brunettes, blonds, redheads, and bald. Out of nowhere they rear their ugly heads. You work hard to obtain solace. You know what I mean. We want a nice place to work, a nice restaurant to dine in, a nice place to fish, a nice theater to watch a movie. But no! That damn obstcale sees that you're happier than them and then all hell brakes loose. They want your job, they're jealous, they want to make it difficult in the workplace, they're rude and noisy in a restaurant, sorry I fished in that spot yesterday so it's mine, excuse while I explain the whole movie to the person sitting next to me in a loud voice. Just a few of the numerous examples of the stuff we put up with from obstacles. Well obstacles are like the trash on the corner, the mountains that were in the way of the railroad, the annoying mosquito, they are meant to dealt with head on and confronted so they are obstacles to no one anymore.  Good luck with yours. Remember! They will always be around somewhere.

Chance Encounters

Chance encounters are taken for granted by us everyday. We meet people randomly in all sorts of situations and never give them a second thought. Each person provides a unique opportunity to expand the boundaries of of our existence. I never pass up the opportunity to further the realtionship. People are put in our paths for a reason. The people with whom we make eye contact look at us with the same knowledge that we have. We were put in their path for a reason too. It rarely fails that a conversation leads to something beneficial for both of us. When I first came to Florida I knew absolutley no one except for the owner of my house. Fate put people in mylife the very first day and hasn't stopped yet. There are no chance encounters. Only encounters that give you the chance to fufill your lfe. Take advantage of them. They're there for the taking.

My Office!

My office is a cozy place. It is well lit, well ventilated, and small but not too small. It is a place I can go to and get my business done. I often read there and contemplate the day in front of me. Tough decisions are made there. Like any office it is a very busy place. Visitors are always coming by to say hello. Some linger and talk to me, others just poke their head in, say Hi!, look what's going on and then on their merry way. My office is especially busy in the morning. My friends just getting started in their day. It is much quiter in the afternoon, you know siesta time, Five Hour Energy time. Like all offices I have my own clique. Roger, Devin, and Xavier stop by on a regular basis. Seth stops by now and then to say Hi! and grab a quick drink of water. The boy's club, quite a group of friends.  I'm lucky that my cats are my friends and we all like to hang in my office, which also doubles as my bathroom.

Don't Say It!

I like to talk. Sometimes too much. I have learned a few things about talking though. I have become much more careful in my choice of words. Words are indeed much sharper than a knife and inflict irreparable damage. So I talk with a lot more forethought. Words spoken only to hurt or reveal unnecessary things are pointless and self serving. I have learned when to talk. Age has brought me self control. I wait for openings to interject in a conversation. I find it utterly rude and ignorant when someone interrupts another in mid sentence. I only respond to verbiage directed at me. My name is Don, not Joe, Fred or Marco. Others can answer for themselves. When I do say I am going to do something I do follow through. There is nothing worse than having someone tell you they are going to do something, give you something, let you know about something and then fail to do so. Just shows what little esteem they hold for you. Don't say it if you don't mean it. Extremely difficult to do in this PC correctness crazy society we have become. So the lesson is simple, Say It, Do It!

Clouds

I meet and talk to people everyday. I like to look at them and see really what they're like. I like to try and see their clouds.   Everyone has them. They are lurking above our heads. A constant reminder of bothersome deeds and events in our lives. Some people have dissipated a few of them so occasionally the sun shines through. Other people don't deal with them and for them gloom is the name of the game. Not all clouds can be evaporated. These are meant to stay with us forever. They remind us of loved ones and times we try to forget but never will. People will make like there are no clouds and pretend to be sunny and happy. Down deep is where the realization that the clouds are present. I have been successful in eliminating some clouds and I am happier for doing so. Still, my clouds persist and dim my life. It does sadden me that they will probably always be with me. I can only take solace in the fact that I can't control the weather only myself.

How I treated my mother.

I saw this great sitcom the other night on the tube. It was called " How I treated my mother". Cool title. I'm sure you've seen this show. Remember the episode where all the plans get screwed up on Thanksgiving. What a hilarious half hour. No one when dinner is exactly. No one knows why dinner time is so late. No one wants to give in. Turmoil. Hurt feelings. The ending was pretty funny, it was all Ma's fault. Remember the Sunday dinner episodes where Dad did everything to start a fight at dinner. It was so funny when Ma kept on pinching my leg to get me to shut up. That episode ending with Ma getting yelled at for trying to keep the peace. What series would be complete without those wonderful, heart warming Holiday episodes. The confusion of whom to invite if someone else is invited. Laughter when someone's feeling are hurt, especially Ma's.  The other Holiday episode where life was so hectic with the cast that neither cards nor gifts were sent. Belly laughs from the studio audience. The punchline, Ma knew we loved her, we showed her all the time. My favorite is the one where Ma's husband was more affected than Ma. He loved his wife so much and he hurt him to see the way she was treated. I hope you catch this show and I hope is gets renewed for another season.