It started simply enough. It was a Facebook message from a high school friend reminding me of our upcoming 50th high school reunion. He continued by complimenting my posts. Not all of them-just the views from my condo. I quoted the message to my wife Lisa. I knew this was the “Year” but had not yet seriously contemplated it. I knew I would go; 50-years, yeah I kinda had to. I responded with “Thanks” (for acknowledging my pictures) and “Since you’re going so will I.” What I was actually thinking was more along the lines of now I have to go. He responded with the name of another friend that was going too. As I read that name I was reminded we had tried to get together at the tail-end of the pandemic but it never worked out. He, or his wife rather, I don’t recall which had health issues and although having all the shots and boosters they wanted to wait. Apparently it wasn’t worth a follow-up from either side and it never happened. As I thought more about it I realized the last time we spoke was 20-years ago after our 30-year reunion. I guess the word “friend” is a relative term. At this rate we will probably both be dead… The friend that started this train of thought (the Facebook message) was one of my most important friends at a most critical time. We were “thick as thieves” as they say from high-school graduation until about our late twenties when we were all off chasing careers. He found religion and I didn’t so we drifted apart. No issues just different lives with different interests. His message drove home the fact that 2023 marks 50 years out of high-school. If you are close to my age (68) you have, or will soon, ponder where the time went. It also initiated another thought. Occasionally over the years I have wondered why I never made more of an effort to stay in touch with friends. I used to answer that with those friends in question never made an attempt either so it goes both ways. That is true of course but I stopped thinking that way. During my last stint in the automotive paint biz, I found I really enjoyed reconnecting with my old colleagues. I also enjoyed making new friends too and decided to make a real effort to maintain these connections after retiring. I even made a point of telling many of them this “epiphany”. Getting into real estate certainly forced my hand to stay in contact. Real estate 101 is work your SOI (sphere of influence) to stay front and center in these individuals consciousness. It did help me stay in contact initially but eventually the reward, or lack thereof, wasn’t enough to get excited about. I didn’t expect a business outcome as much as hoping to maintain our personal relationship. The jury is still out on that. Our busy is different these days so we rarely (if ever) collide. More importantly though is I think I have finally been able to answer a question I’ve had most of my adult life. I have been blessed with many very good and decent friends in my life, so why don’t I try-even a little-to stay in touch? And maybe even more important why doesn’t it seem to bother me-even a little? My answer, or belief is because I was an only child raised by a single parent that was painfully private, I never relied on, or needed companionship. I enjoy when I have it but am fine without it too.

Lava Lamp

If you are a child of the ’60’s you likely remember lava lamps. Like patchouli oil, black light pictures and psychedelic music, lava lamps sat quietly mesmerizing anyone that took a few minutes to watch the soft blob inside morph into unexplainable shapes. I never had the opportunity to do so under the influence but could only imagine the journey your brain would take if you did. As much as I loved them I never owned one which surprises me. Decades later in my estate sale mode I have started to see them again. They have always been out there but are the smaller and cheaper versions with the blobs that don’t morph with the same intensity or enthusiasm. I was educated to this fact recently by my youngest. He had expressed an interest in getting one and asked for us to keep our eyes open. Again, we saw them regularly and shared pictures we him that he quickly dismissed as cheap knockoffs. He had thrown down the gauntlet! He was right, the ones showing up are poor imitations. That changed recently with this one. It is from 1996 so it’s not vintage but the size is right and the blob is amazing! It resembles a neon red play doh that floats and divides and stretches into soft angles with absolutely no effort or thought. His birthday is mid-June so it will sit on my desk hypnotising me until then.

Mark Twain and his crystal ball

In a reference to estate sales again, I often scour these sales looking for books. I enjoy reading and my preference is historical biographies of Americans or events that Americans have faced. The last one I finished was U.S. Grant’s Memoirs-Volume One. This was frustrating because it never came up at a sale which made me want it even more. I finally broke down one night and ordered it on Amazon. It was a great book and worth the wait but it caused another dilemma. Mark Twain. The references kept coming between Grant and Twain to the point I needed to find out more about Mark Twain. Ha! Sure enough, next sale it was there but it was massive at 760 pages. Doing a little digging I realized it was not only written by him but stipulated that it would not be published until the 100th anniversary of his death! What the hell I thought-so I grabbed it. I am only half the way through but have been gobsmacked by his revelations. I will note here that the reason I gravitate to American leaders is for a measure of reassurance that we will survive as a nation even though things look bleak at times. When I read what we have endured and survived, I gain a real sense of solace. Back to Twain. He offers numerous anecdotes and stories that show his unusual wisdom and ability to bring humor to difficult situations but it was his story regarding Republicans and the Presidential candidate for 1884 that stunned me. It was if I was reliving the current political climate. It started with a group of affluent and influential men, all republican and included Twain. This group of men were all gathered and enjoying the benefits of their country club. They knew that the choice for the republican nominee for President was imminent. One name that was on all their lips was James G Blaine. No one gave him a prayer to win the nomination. The consensus among this group and of many influential men throughout the country was they felt that he was totally and completely incompetent. They believed it would not be in the best interest of the country; bordering criminal to support him much less elect him. Newspapers continually called him such and threw him under every available wheel possible. None of them wanted him and made sure that fact was well known. Although many in the “Group” had been invited to attend the nominating convention, none did thinking it a waste of time. They did however make a plan to have a courier at the convention and head there direction immediately after the vote to inform them. When word came back the Group was in complete shock! Blaine had won the nomination. The rest of the story is where I started shaking my head and at the same time believing there was still hope for the future of our country. After receiving the news about Blaine and the shock was beginning to wane, most of the Group started softening their tone towards him. One after one the negative comments made earlier became more neutral eventually sounding positive. Even the newspapers that had denounced him before were starting to find qualities they could embrace and promote. There were three holdouts however, Twain and two of his closest friends. They were outraged that before the nomination Blaine was considered despicable with no positive qualities that no one wanted or even liked and now he was resurrected as a saint. At first the three decided that in protest they just wouldn’t vote period. Twain (aka Samual Clemens) wanted to take it a step further and vote for the Democratic candidate. They agreed and did just that. Glover Cleveland won but the Three didn’t. When news broke of their defection from the Republican Party it became ugly. Twain, whose readership was global, didn’t care about the opinions of the locals who now dismissed him. The second one was heir to a fortune so he didn’t care either. The third however suffered greatly. He was the town preacher and had been for decades. He had helped bring prosperity to the community and was much loved by all until now. A recall was called to remove him from his post and almost succeeded until a passionate parishioner talked everyone off the edge of the cliff. He barely survived in the end. Ultimately the reason for all this was quite simple. Party above all else. The parallels to today are striking and help me realize two things. Firstly, we are a great country that has overcome extreme challenges. Secondly, we need a third party that is somewhere in the middle. I need a home, not an excuse.