What is that odd glowing orb in the sky? As The Beatles’ George Harrison proclaimed through song, “Here Comes The Sun.” It’s like seeing an old friend who’s been away for awhile, and I hope to take advantage of its comforting warmth today rather than just sit inside. And then….as quickly as it appeared…it went away, hidden under a dark cloud. It was nothing more than what I call the Portland tease…an unsatisfying sun break. Fortunately, I am enjoying the Sneaky Pete series and so it’s on to Season 2.

No wait…there it is again. And yet, I have no regrets about moving to Portland. It’s been good for my wife’s career, I have great friends here, plus it’s scenic and lush. It was a fine place to begin my retirement, after two final years of pretending to enjoy my career. About a year ago, a wrote in post #113 about decisions I’ve made and what could have gone wrong? Fortunately most of them have worked out to be quite positive, and at the end of this list I mentioned that I had no regrets. I actually have three that I would now like to admit:

  1. I regret not taking better care of my teeth 
  2. I regret that I didn’t treat my mother better 
  3. I regret the choice to use drugs and alcohol 

As Frank Sinatra wisely crooned, “Regrets I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention.” A good friend of my played that song at his father’s funeral, and knowing him brought a smile to my face. He was a man that definitely did it “his way” and his son was proud of that, so there was not a more appropriate song to celebrate his life. I know that he stopped speaking to his father, gambled, caroused, and drank like a fish, but didn’t regret any of these. Hopefully, he took better care of his teeth than I did. 

I’ve spent too much time and money in the dentist’s chair. Granted, I did not grow up in the age of fluoride treated water, but more flossing and brushing would have cut down on the number of cavities. Also, using my front teeth to strip wire for my electronic-oriented projects was not a wise choice. I wish that I had developed a better relationship with my childhood dentist, but with a name like Dr. Poyser, I always felt that he was a deranged character in a bad science fiction flick. On the positive side, at least I wasn’t in need of financially draining braces.

I was mean to my mother growing up, especially in the mornings getting ready for school. I’m sure she was glad to see me leave to catch the bus. I was not a morning person and took my anger out on her, and would have never gotten out of bed unless she made me. By the same token, I’m not sure where my dad was while I was being a spoiled brat? Once I got home from school, I was a pretty good kid, until I resisted going to bed. She did not deserve to be treated this way, and I’m sorry. I did get some of that bad karma back from my son, but he at least got himself up in the morning to go to swim practice.

Fortunately, I never aware of drugs or consumed alcohol while in high school. However, I made up for it in college. I’m proud of my son who never did either. I drink too much wine here in Portland, but was never really a fan of hard alcohol or beer. I will have a couple of beers on Friday as part of the Leadership meetings, and my Triple-X (eXtra dirty, eXtra dry, eXtra olives) martinis at dinner. Alcohol is admittedly a bad habit that I would be a lot better off without.

I’m glad that I’ve made many more good decisions in life than bad ones. I do have other bad habits that I don’t regret like being a Cookie Monster and an addiction to Diet Coke, both of which are bad for my teeth. It’s ironic that with as much sugar that I consume, I would be hooked on diet.  I’ve honestly never met a cookie I didn’t like – sugar or not. “My Way” does not necessarily reflect my life, since I’ve always tried to play by the rules. I am not a gambler or a risk-taker, but I am tempted by sugar. Would I kill for a cookie? And if I did, would I regret it?

 

“And now, the end is near, 

And so I face the final curtain, 

My friend I’ll say it clear,

I’ll state my case…of which I’m certain.”

 

“I’ve lived a life that’s full,

I’ve traveled each and every highway,

But more, much more than this,

I did it My Way.”