Words of advice from my father, and some anecdotes
Dad told me a few things that have always stuck in my memory. When I was about 9 or 10, he remarked that smoking is a dirty, disgusting habit, bad for your health, and it cost a lot of money to smoke. This would have been 1965 or 66. I listened, and never took the habit up. But the habit, even though he quit cold turkey at 50, ultimately affected him. He once told me "Son, don't ever get married. It's not worth it." I thought he was joking -- until my mother agreed. So I never did that, either. But he did tell me that "Son, you got all your smarts from your mother. But you got my good looks." Which sums up his personality pretty well, to which a girlfriend of mine, after meeting dad and myself at the Golden 20s Bar in Detroit while I was in college told me "Now I see where you get YOUR charm!" At 10, he took me to my first visit to the racetrack. I picked horse number 1 in race 1. My dad bet $2 for me and my horse won. He was impressed. But I never got the gambling bug. He also took me to his local bar when I was 10, and it was there that I first learned to shoot pool. I was also his golf caddy, and carried his clubs around for 9 holes. His bag of clubs were about as big as me. Funny. I never took up golf, either. But since I am getting his clubs, I guess I will be taking lessons. Like dad, I learned to love bowling, my bar buddies, the ladies, and fishing. Only, I don't fish anymore...
Posted by Bill Underwood
Tuesday May 14, 2013 at 7:39 am