This morning I am thinking about a few of the nuggets of wisdom my father passed onto me...
I usually pushed back against that idea, it seemed too simple, I mean, you know, it must be more complicated than that. Of course, now, many years later, it's so obviously true. Undeniable. It's written on the wind. Every nation, every era. Those with all the money & power always lord it over everyone else. That is the Human Way. And often the stupid little people laud those with money & power, they put them up on pedestals, make them heroes, even as the haves exploit, rape and plunder. Yikes. It's an ugly & very stupidly true story.
My father also often quoted Vince Lombardi: "When the Going gets tough, the Tough Get Going." Yes, the going is always tough, so you are always required to get going, damn the torpedos.
"I never promised you a rose garden." That was line often on my father's lips. He would say it with a smile and lilt in his voice. You know, it was one of those hard-earned sentiments, floated casually. He seemed to be telling me to deal with the deal, no matter what.
"What's it all about Alfie?" A movie starring Michael Caine and a song by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. My father would often sing that line. It was a perfect response to pretty much every morning's headlines. I used to make fun of my father for going to the sport pages and the comics before tackling the news of the day. Now, I totally get it. A perfect defense mechanism for dealing with the madness, the horror, the suffering of the Human thing, and a way of dealing with the deal.
There was also this bonus nugget of advice that my father often quoted via Lombardi: "Run to Daylight." Yes. But of course, but you don't always have to run, you can also walk into the light, or even just lean to the light. Be kind, gentle, follow the Golden Rule. That was the wisdom and way of my Father. Yes.
