My dad doesn’t have a lot of schooling, but if common sense counts, he’s a pretty smart guy. Kind of a philosopher, really.
For example, his take on marriage. “A good marriage is like a good fire; you have to tend it to make it burn bright.” Of course he also said, “Tending a fire is a delicate thing. If you leave it be too long, it’ll go out. But if you put too much wood on it, you’ll smother the flame.”
So, I was talking to dad this week, you know, checking in. At eighty-four, he’s slowing down some. He doesn’t play golf or bowl anymore, and he’d stopped doing a lot of activities down to Mahoosuc Green. But, last winter he got new hearing aids, and we realized he wasn’t doing to things because he couldn’t hear good. Now he can, and he’s been going to Bingo (which he calls Beano) and concerts.
He even joined the men’s group. When I asked what they do, he says they sit around and talk about how to make the place better, which sounds about right for a men’s group.
“There are some guys there,” he says, “that love being miserable. Nothing’s ever right. My feeling is, this is a nice place and I’m lucky to have the life I have. Besides, when I moved in here, I made up my mind I was just going to go with the flow. Makes life easier.”
“What did you do this week, dad?” I ask.
“Oh, you know, beano. Went to a movie in the movie room.”
“What’d you see?”
“Can’t remember, but the popcorn was good. Oh, and I went to a program about end of life.”
“You did? What was it like?
“They asked us questions, and folks shared stuff. It was interesting.”
“What kind of questions?”
“Like, ‘If you had twenty-four hours to live, what would you do?’”
I immediately started thinking about what I’d eat, which tell you something about me. Later, when I asked Charlie, he said he’d take a walk in the woods.
“What’d you say, dad?”
“I said I’d make my bed because that’s the only thing I have left undone.”
You know, that sounds like a joke, but if stop and really think about it, wow! It’s deep.
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
IDA’S PODCAST: My Dad, the Philosopher
Coming Up This Fall
October 17: Book Reading, Alfred F. Totman Public Library, http://www.totman.lib.me.us/ 6:30pm, Phippsburg, ME
November 4, 11, 18: Makin’ Whoopie!, Calumet Women’s Weekends, http://www.calumet.org/womensweekends 7:30pm, West Ossippe, NH
Check out my full schedule here: http://www.idaswebsite.com/schedule/