When I was young ( light years ago ) there were two fad’s that allowed even the shyest of personalities to feel a part of the crowd. One was the knock-knock-whose there? ” Lettuce, lettuce who?” Lettuce us in its freezing out here”. ( and on and on with silly stuff like that, but funny at the time). The other was, ” I have a riddle for you”? Since I had a ” slow light bulb ” I was not good at either. However, in my old age I have covered all the bases. Yes, Mildred I made up my own riddle and answer in one fell swoop.
” What do you get when you gather a retired president, a retired vice-president, and six retired sales reps. that worked for a family owned brick manufacturer for a zillion years suggesting a two and half day retreat “? Give up? Lots of adult beverages, good food, laughs until your sides hurt, and enough memories to fill a F-150 Ford pickup truck.
A few months ago our vice-president of sales contacted the “gang of eight” ( it should be nine, however one salesperson had a commitment he could not cancel) suggesting a reunion in picturesque Blowing Rock, N.C. Our ages range from eighty-four to sixty-five so I asked, ” Do we need name tags because there will be eight of us”? After finalizing the dates, knowing we were sharing close sleeping quarters ( before you jump to conclusions, each of us had our own bed ) the light hearted bantering began.
” I will attend if I do not have to room with ——— , he snores like a freight train. Or how many times do I get to flush the commode when I need to relieve myself during the night? Or, is there handicap access since a few of us have arthritic knees? If not, can I get my food and drink delivered to my room? With the majority of us having various physical aliments, I expected a Medicare rep. to show up anytime for a question and answer session. My one regret was not videoing the numerous topics we discussed because the group did solve all the world’s issues. Of course, each of us had his own version of how to do it.
Yes, there was more gray hair, but we attributed that to wisdom. Yes there was a few more wrinkles, but we attributed that to growing old gracefully. Yes, the eye sight wasn’t the best, but we attributed that to poor lighting and menu’s should have larger print. As I packed for the get together, my better half asked, ” Since you guys are not playing golf how will you occupy your time”?
I replied, ” Knowing this group like I do, there will never be a dull moment”. The mountains were fantastic with their autumn colors and so was the ” gang of eight”.
Be safe.
Joe's Bakers Dozen 