August 1, 2024
Who was it that said: “The dumbest person I ever met was my father. But when I got older, and had married and had kids, my father suddenly got smarter.” But what about a guy like me? My wife claims I’m both a father (3) and grandfather (3). Maybe the time had come for me to offer some advice to the kids; after all, I’ve been around nearly a century. After some deliberation, I realized it was too late to offer anything to our kids, so I sat the three grandkids down one day and told them about my dozen no-no’s. These no-no’s were very simple grandfatherly suggestions. Their reaction appeared to be positive.
It has been 2 months since our chat and there’s been no feedback. So, I thought I might jot down my suggestions (as best as I can remember) for safe keeping. Here they are with the #1 No-No the most important to observe, and the #12 No-No the least important.
No-No 1: No sexual activity that can result in a pregnancy.
2: No drinking and driving.
3: No drugs. These should only be used for treatment or prevention of disease. Stay away from barbiturates, sedatives, hypnotics, stimulants, hallucinogens, opioids, etc. Shame on Willie Nelson’s attempts to publicize drug use.
4: No carrying of weapons. It was knives, razors, and chains in my day.
5: No drinking to excess. The Queen and I haven’t had a drink in about half century.
6: No smoking (or vaping).
7: No tattoos. Tattooing is a method of “decorating” the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface. This irreversible action is both stupid and insane. I wear no jewelry. If one of my kids came home with a tattoo, it would be a major disappointment.
8: No gambling to excess. This is a tough one for me since I’ve been gambling all my life. The key here is to gamble only with money you can afford to lose.
9: No hard political or religious positions. Sorry, but I can’t help myself here with the former.
10: No shortcutting your education. It is absolutely imperative that you be communicate orally and in writing.
11: No physical or mental abuse of others.
12: No physical altercation(s) with others.
I hope some of the above helps a couple of my readers.
Note: The opening “quote” has been attributed to Mark Twain. However, this has been disputed in recent years.
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Enjoyed your e mail. All good here. Lots of activity as Mike is running for Congress. Georgia