Another day of uneventful mail, as everything in our box went directly into the trash. It’s been awhile since there have been any treasured items for me to open. The dogs did not even stir when I opened the front door to fetch it, as they can sense the falling rain. Tomorrow, the painters will start on the ceiling and interior walls, and Monday the furniture doctor will begin work on our hutch. In the meantime, it’s quiet on the retirement front, with only Game of Thrones (GOT) to keep me entertained. I know that my life sounds a bit boring, but I need this down-time between our travels.

“Bannister World” had a new addition as I checked the Ancestry.com site. A First or Second Cousin by the name of Sue Ramsey popped-up as a DNA match. My “Jerry Banister Family Tree” identifies a Debora Sue White Ramsey, so I sent a note to see if this is indeed her. If so, she would be related on my suspected father’s side of the family, closely connected to other contacts that I’ve made. Some people through Ancestry.com respond to these notes, while others apparently are suspicious of my intentions. I can’t say that I blame them for not responding to a total stranger. As I saw on Facebook the other day, years ago parents warned of getting into someone you don’t know’s car and of meeting or communicating with unfamiliar people over the internet. Today, there’s Uber. 

While I wait for a reply, which could be never, I continue with the GOT series. “Lannister World” is also about family ties, as we trace the genealogical paths of Kings & Queens that often leads to lies, murder, deception, and tragedy. There aren’t many similarities between the Bannisters and Lannisters, but adoptees like me are used to creating fantasy because we don’t know the truth. My life could be misconstrued as a “Soap Opera,” since I’m probably the product of a one-night-stand that might even involve relatives. “Lannister World” is filled with whores, bastards, incest, and rape in a setting of castles, beasts, giants, dragons, zombies, wights, and white-walkers. It’s X-Rated and disgusting, but not far from reality. 

I remember thinking as a child that I would someday be reclaimed by a Royal family, and be made a King. I’ve had delusions of Knighthood, castle-life, power, and wealth. There were times when I didn’t appreciate the home I was given and the parents who raised me with every opportunity. Now, I sit back and reflect about a life that many people would envy. It’s only recently that I discovered “Bannister World,” and how that life would have been so much different, if not difficult. “Lannister World” is definitely not for me! “Johnston World” is my reality. 

“Old Age” is upon me, but hopefully I can continue to ignore it and continue to enjoy my retirement. As Maester Aemon Targaryen, second son of King Viserys Targaryen commented, “Old Age is a wonderful source of ironies if nothing else.” He had lost his sight and could not longer read the rare books in his library. He was slated to be a King himself, but ended up guarding four other Kings, and eventually sworn to the Night’s Watch. He’s bald, wrinkled, shrunken, and blind. He speaks softly, but his council is so valued and respected that others fall silent to hear his profound words. Even a fictional life like his was not filled with regret, but rather with a sense of humor. There are many things that you can no longer do in “Old Age,” so all you can do is laugh about them. There are a few characters like him on Game of Thrones that accept the circumstances and play the game by the rules. In his case, it was Good not to be the King.