No one to talk to

When a man reaches a certain age - in my case, nearly 64 - it becomes apparent that there really is no one to turn to when things trouble him. As a boy, of course, you have your father. He knows everything - at least until you reach those awful teenage years when you decide he knows nothing. Fortunately, you realize, in your early to mid-twenties that maybe Dad does know a little bit about something after all. Unfortunately, some of that disappears when you reach you mid-thirties and find you are now a grown-up and think you have most of the answers. Then dad passes on.

I am fortunate in that I have a brother on whom I can lean from time to time, but he lives across the country and sometimes a phone call just doesn't suffice when it comes to explaining things that are long, drawn-out affairs that encompass years of development. I also have a spouse who I've been married to for nearly two-third's of my life, but, you know, sometimes a man needs another man to talk to. Or, if the problem should involve your spouse, that could definitely pose a problem.

Unfortunately, my absolute best friend passed away a couple of years ago. He was a guy that I could talk to about every, or any, thing. In fact, we shared some of the most intimate problems in our lives, as well as, of course, the most wonderful things we were experiencing. Alas, he's long gone, so there's no one to talk to.

This sounds kinda whiny, and a man isn't supposed to do that, so I better stop now.

Old Fart Mike