I think I have arthritis in the finger I dislocated when I moved back to Texas and might have it in my right thumb, not really sure.
Sometimes when it is cold I need to warm them up a bit before they feel normal but I never have trouble opening jars, doors or doing anything because of whatever this is. I just know they ache a little bit here and there and that I when I am busy I don’t notice it.
Drove out to Trophy Club to check out a bagel place I have been hearing about since it opened during the pandemic.
It is supposed to have an East Coast feel and I was curious to see it in person, especially since they carry a few items some might call Jewish comfort food.
Got there and did my typical eavesdropping while I waited in line and heard some women complain about someone they said is too old for long hair.
Apparently she is in her early forties and according to the yentas that is too old. I think they heard me snort at their comment but I just smiled when they turned and they refrained from heaping snark upon me.
Had they done so I was prepared to say women are far too judgemental of others and it is ridiculous but they were silent and so was I.
Some Things Never Change
You won’t hear me say men are perfect or that we don’t have our own crap but these kinds of comments never seem to go away.
I remember hearing things when I was in elementary school and as someone who has always had a lot of women around them I have heard and seen it said with women my age or older.
I don’t get it, these rules about what you can or can’t wear and why. But I don’t understand or care much about some of the rules that supposedly apply to men as well.
You won’t catch me giving a damn about wearing white after Labor Day and if you try to pinch me for not wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day you might understand the ache I sometimes feel in the aforementioned fingers but worse.
Anyhoo, the bagel place wasn’t bad. I don’t think they’re as good as the joint that is by me but I am happy to see more good ones show up around DFW.
I almost picked up a Dr. Brown’s Cream soda today for no reason other than just because. I have memories of drinking that from almost as far back as I can remember.
Certainly got one at the restaurant at the schvitz when I would go with my father and grandfather. Stared at the can today and remembered men arguing about whether DiMaggio or Ted Williams were the greatest hitters.
I used to listen to some of those conversations and think about how old they sounded, especially if they said that people who hadn’t seen Joe D play didn’t know what they were talking about.
Now I am a part of those conversations sometimes. Now I am the old guy who refers to that Dodger infield of my youth and talks about NBA or NFL players from my youth that could play in any era.
It is a natural progression, there is nothing wrong with it but it is strange when you start to realize where you are relative to others.
****
I had a conversation a couple of years ago with a kid who was an active in my fraternity where he tried to tell me I didn’t understand what it was like to be a part of the house.
That made me laugh and I asked him who built that house and kept it going so that he could enjoy it. He didn’t quite follow me so I explained to him the four years in which you are an active are the smallest part of it.
During the decades since I went alum I have been to weddings, brit-milot, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and a few funerals for brothers and or their family members.
Gotten job interviews because of fraternity contacts and helped others do the same. Maybe we formed some bonds over some goofy college stuff but it is what came after that really impacted things.
Post college you stay in touch with those you want to stay connected with and let go of those who aren’t important.
Call Me Or Don’t
Had a conversation with a family member who asked me how I got to be so good at not caring about certain things. Got sort of a wry smile across my face and explained I have a call me or don’t attitude about most people.
“We all have stuff going on in our lives. We all have challenges and if people think you are important they’ll make time for you.”
I believe that to be true most of the time but there are moments where people get trapped in their own thoughts/world.
Sometimes you can tell them to get their shit together and reach out when their head is screwed on straight and sometimes you have to stick out your hand and tell them to take it.
There is no real rhyme or reason to it, you have to figure out how and when to do it. But don’t let people drown or go because you couldn’t make the effort.
Of course I kind of believe in that whole ‘what is meant for you, won’t go past you thing’ so that plays a role in my decisions, but that is a different sort of thing.
Got a nice word or two about It Made Me Cry.
Always appreciate knowing someone got something out of these words and with that I bid you adieu.
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