Old Man, She Said

"Old man," she said, "have you lived so long and forgotten so much that you dont remember anything you ever knew or felt or even heard about..........?"


Tomorrow I will be 67 years old.  I was raised on a farm till 14.  Then a small town.  I escaped to college under the guise of being a missionary which was the only acceptable reason for going except teaching and everybody knew I couldn't do that.  I have been in 16 countries and lived in three of them. I have been a farmer, electrician, crop duster swamper, waiter, newspaper printer, editor, soldier, intelligence analyst, linguist, hunter of men, student, teacher, a bureaucrat, consultant, civil rights advocate, geographer, husband, and father.   Some other stuff too.  I have been to every State in the United States.  Most of them multiple times.  As a young man I have actually flown 75% around the globe.  I have over a thousand hours of inflight time and I now refuse to get on airplane.  I take a total of 22 doctor prescribed pills each day for seven different systems that are malfunctioning.  I read, I write, I make things, I fix things.  I watch over and take care of those I love.


Although I am statistically beyond the median life span of in-country Vietnam veterans, I plan to live much much longer.  So i highly recommend to my children that they each construct an outside house or facility where I can live that portion that chose to live with them when i am not traveling.


I am 67 tomorrow.