My father and I were attending a lodge function recently, when, as I was helping him up some steps, I noticed something… our hands. They were the same. They were scarred, worn and weather beaten by the sun and years of use and misuse, of manual labor. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: May 2013
What Red Wall?
Sometimes we just don’t notice the changes around us; like a wall that’s been painted a different color or things that we had “better notice” like our wife’s hair being styled differently. Unfortunately, these positive changes often go unnoticed and unappreciated. Maybe it’s because the changes are so subtle. (Well… except for that red wall) Continue reading
We Hear What We Want to Hear
At the southwest corner of Matheson and Goodwin Street, there was once a lone cabbage palm next to the road. It is gone now, a victim of my first auto accident. It was 1962 and I was eight years old… a little young to be driving around, but there is family tradition involved.
My father was twelve years old when, due to his father’s death, he was left with the responsibility of driving his mother around in a Model A truck. The authorities realized that an unlicensed 12 year old could not be allowed to operate a vehicle, so they promptly gave him a driver’s license. Problem solved. Continue reading
The Journey
We are all on our own personal journey through life. Along the way, our experiences have helped craft us into who we are. When we think back, there have been people we have met, things that have happened to us and places we have been, that have changed us. Of course, genetics played an important part in our development, creating a strong foundation, doling out traits both wonderful and cursed alike, that have been handed down through generations (without our advice or consent!). And although we do have a hand in our own development, fate itself has thrown us a few unexpected curves… some wondrous and others tragic. These forces have combined to chisel away at our raw character and our physical being, a chip here and a hefty piece there… until some of us actually end up looking and acting like completely different people. But for most of us, somewhere deep down inside, the essence of who we are remains firmly intact. Continue reading
Southern Diplomacy
I’ve often heard that the art of diplomacy is dead. It certainly seems like some people these days refuse to engage in civil debate. They tend to yell loud, make weird accusations, interrupt each other and are often just plain mean. However, I’m not sure if it has ever been any more “civil”. Especially when I consider some of my father’s stories about early Florida “dispute resolution”. Continue reading
Pause for the Good Times
I don’t know about you, but time seems to pass by faster the older I get. I’m not sure why, but maybe it’s because, we tend to get busier as we mature. Our adult lives are full… full of kids, work, relationships, love, conflict, good times and bad. We’re so distracted by the business of life, each time we allow ourselves to pause and reflect for that rare precious moment, our journey seems to have covered such a long distance, but taken such a short time. Continue reading
Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner
My wife and I were having dinner at our friend’s house, when the subject turned to politics. (Surprise!) Our friend “Sue” was angry because her “local representative” had done something that was contrary to her wishes. Despite the kick under the table from my wife (she knew what was coming) I couldn’t resist. “So, do you really think that your elected representative should always make decisions that reflect your own opinion?” I asked rubbing my shin. Continue reading
Dog to the Rescue
If you watch the news or read the paper it’s quite easy to become discouraged about how people treat each other. Compassion, understanding and tolerance seem to be in short supply. But someone always seems to come along just in time to restore my faith in the human heart.
My wife and I are “Dog People”. We don’t really own a dog; we just share a home with an 11-year-old Jack Russell Terrier named Molly. Now, we love Molly very much, but she does have a few quirks. She will go from calm, sweet and loving to spinning around in one place for no apparent reason, to staring at the last known location of a lizard for hours, then straight to her “Sling-Blade” character who will attack a dog the size of a horse or the top of our friend Cheryl’s head (sorry again Cheryl). So, naturally my wife Lori and I wanted another dog… not a different one mind you…ANOTHER one. Continue reading
Fireflies, Watermelon, and Whip-poor-wills
Summertime in South Florida is not just another season. Mother Nature flexes her muscles this time of year, showing us who is really in charge. Regardless of what we say, I don’t think that those of us who remain rooted here this time of year are accustomed to the heat, the humidity, the storms and the bugs (I’ve been waiting 55 years to get acclimated)… we basically just accept it and go about our business. Well, what there is left of it after many of our friends and neighbors head back up North. But for all the negatives that one can think of about Southwest Florida summers, there is a strange duality to this time of year because there are also some remarkable and wonderful things that occur as well.
As a child growing up here, I knew that the coming of summer meant long uncomfortable nights spent with no air conditioning, waiting for a breeze that never came, but it also meant that when the summer rains came the temperature would immediately (albeit very briefly) drop 20 degrees and the air would smell clean, sweet and alive. That first rumble of thunder for the season sounded strange and wonderfully welcome after 8 months of dry season and it still does. School was also out, just in time to play in the puddles that accumulated outside the house. Continue reading
A Gift from my Father
As a parent, I have always found it interesting to know that despite all of my careful planning and well thought out lectures, my children always seemed to see through my attempt to mold them and instead chose to learn things that I had not intended to teach, things that likely have more to do with who I am than I would care to admit. I think (hope) that all parents and children have this in common and when I think of all the lessons I’ve learned from my father, I am reminded of a particular story about his childhood. Continue reading
The Other Ben Nelson 