CLEAN SLATE? IT’S NOT TOO LATE

The clean slate, the fresh start, is possible every day.

Start over, begin again, it happens every day.

That’s a picture from the night I met The Schonz.

He was a sassy old bird with a firm grip.

He gave me a clean slate for any other famous Portlander I might meet.

Back in the day my work life put me with many, many, historical Oregon characters.

I met Neil Goldschmidt during his governor days, Mark Hatfield after his Senate retirement.

I said hello to Gerry Frank at a book fair and again during a tour of Menucha.

I went to a group coffee with Bob Packwood and caught all of the stares.

It was awkward in Starbucks that day.

The point here is taking a little bit of each day, good or bad, with you to the next, while at the same time not overloading the whole thing.

We have limits, after all.

If you don’t believe you have limits, you will eventually.

 

What I’d Tell My Dad, What You Might Tell Yours

If your old man invites you to his property to cut trees and saw logs, do it.

This old bird grew up in a logging town, spent a career in insurance, then retried to his roots.

Together we were quite the team.

I went to show him what’s what, that he couldn’t keep up with his kid.

Turns out he could. The old fart nearly worked me to death and did’t break a sweat.

Since I had short sleeves and didn’t complain I ended up skinning my forearms raw grabbing logs.

What would I tell him?

Keep rolling, old man, and that’ll keep a clean slate.

But, who listens?

 

You Got To Keep After Them For A Clean Slate

Easter is a good day for a clean slate, a good day to reflect on what to keep.

There’s the old life, the new life, and the love from those close to you.

I’ll connect the dots.

The new life starts when you get married and stay married until death do you part.

Sounds cheery, yes?

The new life starts when you have kids, and again when your kids have kids.

Getting a little teary on that? Me too.

Give Easter a chance to clear the slates and start new, start over.

Even if you have a perfect life, give it a go.

Happy Easter today.