Old Coots

November 30, 2018

Once in awhile the things for which I am thankful are pretty significant, but mostly they are small blessings and experiences of life that are in themselves so inconsequential that it feels odd writing about them. Like today after our Sinclairville writer’s group, four of us old codgers stood around talking and laughing for another half hour. Rell, retired owner of a HVAC company, told about some of the hair-raising experiences he has had in the business. Clark, retired college Spanish professor, and George, retired university mathematics professor, talked about old DeSotos and other jalopies they once drove. I listened mostly, except for contributing a couple clunker tales of my own. 

Interesting how we so often categorize men by what they do, or did, for a living. Maybe that’s why so many of us cash it in so soon after retirement. If our identity is in our job or career, who are we once all that is over? I could have as easily described these men by their religion or ethnicity. Clark is Jewish, George is Lenape Native American, Rell has Scandinavian heritage, and I am Heinz 57, mostly German and English. We are Christian and Jew, with a bit of Native American spirituality thrown in for good measure. I might have said that George and Clark are published authors, while Rell and I write primarily for our own amusement. Politically, we are pretty much in agreement, but even if we weren’t, we’d still be friends because we respect each other.

What is most important is not all the categories our increasingly crazy culture uses to divide people into its version of privileged and oppressed, but (dare I say it?) our maturity, both in years and in emotional groundedness. We’re four old coots who enjoy life and each other. Our differences are part of the glue that holds us together as we share our collective wit and wisdom (probably more of the former than the latter). We are not famous, powerful, rich, or particularly handsome. We’re not particularly ugly, either, but one could say the jury is still out on that.

So tonight I am thankful for these three friends. I have many others, but seeing these guys on Friday mornings fills an empty spot in my soul. Like that Facebook post that’s making the rounds, we’re “old codgers giving advice. It may not be right, but it’s free.” If you happen to be an old codger or curmudgeon yourself, and are looking for some fellow travelers, you might want to check us out. Before we do. Check out, that is.