Living My Best Life

   I went to my Cardiac Rehab class this morning and on my way in, I saw a sign on the wall and then looked down the hall                       
 I couldn't help but wonder. "Everybody sooner or later will take the trip down this hallway. There is no getting out of it." Then I thought to myself, "I have to live my best life while I am still here and enjoy the people, places and things that surround me."

 After I took the picture, I headed to my Cardiac Rehab down the next hallway to the right. I hadn't thought about how close my Cardiac Rehab class was to the Morgue until I started writing all about today.

 I was on my Exercycle working out when Tom Skilling came on the TV with the weather on Channel 9. I watched him as he described the storm that was approaching from the west. I just had to see what the storm looked like. I knew I had my camera with me and maybe I could get a few good pictures of it. I got off my bike with my blood pressure cuff still attached to my arm and hurried outside too see. I looked up and saw some really awesome clouds. I was glad that I had my camera with me. With-in a few moments everybody outside the hospital entrance stopped and looked up. We were all enjoying watching the ominous clouds rolling towards us.



 I kept taking pictures until the clouds past over us. As I headed back to my rehab class, I thought about how cool that was and the fact I was able to get to see the beauty Mother Nature had just put on. I also thought about that sign hanging in that long hallway. I was glad that I was alive. 

It Was So Embarrassing

                It Was So Embarrassing

  It was 1985. I was going through a divorce at the time so I had to live in this cock roach motel. I got a job across the street working at this sporting goods store. I don’t even like sports but I needed the job to pay for my motel. Cripes, I could write a whole book just on that experience alone.

 Anyway, I worked in the exercise department selling exercise bikes, weights and that sort of thing. It was the time of year when the school kids were starting to buy the equipment they needed to play football.  I was new to this sports stuff because my Dad never was into sports himself so he never taught me anything. I worked on cars and hung around the park with the guys shooting the shit and smoking most of the time. 

 Well it was on the first or second day working there when this woman came up to me and said her son needed a girdle for football. HUH??? I wanted to say, “Why don’t you let him wear one of yours?” I didn’t know what she was talking about. So I ran to the manager of the store and he told me the football girdles were in the back of the store. I went in the back but I didn’t know where they were. I didn’t even know what they looked like. I came out and the lady asked me. “What’s taking so long?” I was getting really stressed out on my second day on the job. I saw the manger and yelled, “I need a girdle and I don’t know where they are.” 

 I was ready to quit right then and there. I don’t know what happened to the Mother that wanted to buy a girdle for her son.  I never did find one and the manger was too busy to help me. So I just stayed in the back room and pretended to look for one until she left. 

 After a couple of weeks I was getting accustomed to working there, although, I hated it. I was told to keep the Jock Strap Display stocked up because they were selling fast because of the football season. Then one day another one of the Mothers came into the store and asked me, “I need a supporter for my son.” In the Display Rack they have small, medium and large. I needed to know what size her boy needed because once you buy them you cannot return them. “What size does he need?” I asked the Mother. She looked at me for a couple of seconds and said, “I don’t know.” I was really trying to be helpful. So I asked her, “Well how big is he?” The Mother starred at me and started to get red in the face. “I don’t know I never saw him. I think I better let him come in and get it,” she told me and then ran away from me. “Huh? What was that all about,” I thought to myself. I didn’t know what I had done to get her all flustered like that. Then it dawn on me when I had asked her “Well how big is he?” The mother must have thought I was asking her how big his genitals where. Now I knew why she ran away. What I was trying to ask the Mother was “How tall is he, you know, how old is he,” so I could get an idea of what size to give her. I guess I should have phrased it a little different at the time. I was so embarrassed when I realized the mistake I had made.

Letters From Dad

 Fathers day is coming up this Sunday so I thought I would put together a tribute to my Dad that starts off with the very first letter I ever got from my Dad. He was still in the Philippines in World War 11 when I was born on Aug 5th 1945, so I didn't get to see him until I was about one year old.

Phillippines
Aug 29th, 1945

Hello Billy

Welcome to our happy little family and to this great big world, I haven’t met you outside of a few kicks you gave me before you entered this world but I got a picture of you today and you’re quite a little guy. I’m proud of you. As your mother had probably told you, I’m in the army now but it won’t be long until I get home and concentrate on being a good father to you. You will never remember it but you will have served a few months in the army yourself and I hope that is all you will ever serve. That is what all these men fought and died for, was to make your life and other little guys like you, have a better place to live in.

It’s all over now, so it’s up to you to make it stay good when you grow up. You have a good start in life except for having me for an old man. But with the mother and the grandparents you should be able to overcome that handicap. I promise to do everything I can to be a good father to you. So keep this letter. If I ever go astray, it’s sort of a contract. Until we meet Billy, take care of your mother for us and give her a big kiss for me, will you?
Goodnight Billy
Your Dad

P.S. I hope you like me.





April 20th 1990

Hi Bill

Been meaning to write for a long time so finally got around to it. Been so busy around here trying to get settled around after the big kitchen remodeling. I also built some big cabinets in the garage enclosed with folding doors to hide some of the junk. As you know Coletta is a pack rat and she has a big collection of junk here. However I have learned how to accept things that used to disturb me and to be happy & enjoy the life I lead.

Went fishing last week and caught over 30 code fish. Really had a good time even though it was windy & rough. We were out over two nights. Went about 100 miles out in the ocean. I never get out there in the ocean fishing that I don’t think of you & the good times we had fishing together down in Florida. Good memories!

Coletta & I went out with Ray & Lorraine for Easter dinner and had a nice time. It’s weird that Ray & I still see each other now after being friends since we were 9 years old. The four of us get together a couple of times a week. Nice to have close friends.

I’m enclosing a little something for you. Why don’t you take it and go out for a nice dinner at a good place and really enjoy yourself for an evening.
Better close for now, have to listen to “Cheers,” my favorite.

Love Ya’ much Bill
Take care
Dad


This is a letter I sent to my Dad out in California back in 1990. I am responding to his letter. He was telling me about how he would go out fishing in the ocean and the great memories it brought back of the early times in our lives, when we were all one big family:


Hi Dad

Thank You for sending the $50, that was great of you to do that. It was really nice getting your letter too. It was fun to read it.
You were talking about fishing and good memories, that’s the reason I like fishing so much. I remember You, Mom, Jeanne & me all went out together having a great time and remembering Nana. She really loved fishing with us.

I remember the last time she ever went fishing. It was the summer I stayed with her after Mom died. I kept asking Nana to come fishing at Indian Rocks Pier with me. I don’t think she was physically up to sitting all day in the sun but one day she said she wanted to go with me. We got to the pier & she stayed close to the shore. I didn’t think we could get anything so close to shore so I asked her if I could go to the end of the pier and try my luck. “Go ahead,” she said, “but you’ll be sorry.”

Well after about 30 minutes out at the end, I didn’t get a bite so I went back to see how Nana was doing. When I got there to her she held up the biggest “Snook” I’d ever seen. “I told you so,” she said. After that I stuck to her like glue. We talked & laughed and had a great time. At the end of the day she was really glad she went. She created great memories that day for her and me that would never be forgotten. What a great fisherman she was.

I think we do a lot of things that bring back good memories. That’s what I do to get me past the bad times, I think about all the good memories people have given me.

Kris and Shawn are coming to visit me June 2nd and stay for a week. That will be nice if I can keep up with them. I’m saving the $50 you sent me so we can all go out together. I’ll get some pictures & send them to you.

Love
Bill


Dad was 76 when his life came to and end. While he was in Hospice he kept a diary of the last days of his life and what he was feeling as each day passed by. It ends abruptly 27 days before he died.

 Note: Enlarge Video to full screen and Press Pause as each page turns so that you can stop and read it.

Politicians Eliminate Illinois Cares Rx Prescription Drug Program

 I just came back from my weekly disability meeting at the Schaumburg Township in Schaumburg Illinois. I found out that Springfield has passed a budget were they will eliminate the Illinois Cares Rx program. That program helps pay for medication for the disabled, elderly, and the poor. "WHAT ARE YOU POLITICIANS THINKING? Have you gone off the deep end? How are we supposed pay for our medications next month?"

 "Governor Quinn, If you sign that bill, it will put the disabled, elderly, and the poor in need of their medicine in a lot of trouble health wise. I don't doubt that there will be people that will die because they couldn't afford their medicine. I want you to think about that before you put your pen to that piece of paper."

Remember This? It was one of your promises to the people of Illinois.
http://www.quinnforillinois.com/issues/health-care

William Kaufman