I Enjoy Listening to Pa and His Chums Lament about Retirement. They Humbled Me.
Life experience matters when it comes to retirement
I used to hate meeting Pa’s mates.
They chatted over one another, sounded vulgar, and spoke at a volume that would make the table next to us feel that we had infiltrated their personal space.
I felt a sense of heated embarrassment on my cheeks when I was younger. And I hated it.
I told Pa that, too.
All he said to me [back then] was,
“Son, what we say are lessons you never learn in school. Forget how we say it. Listen carefully. You will learn a lot.”
What Pa suggested seems to make [a lot of] sense… 20 years later.
When we were younger
My Pa has aged a lot.
I remembered what he was like when I was younger. All he had to do was to put on his classic stern face, and I would fold. I cannot imagine going against my old man. He has a terrible roar, too.
My strategy for dealing with Pa is to give him the good grades he wants to see. I will carry on with my life after.
