I have been remiss in posting as of late. Life (as it did two years ago) became a stubborn child this past week; pouty; immobile until Thursday, when it threw one hell-of-a-tantrum causing wave after wave of disappointment.
Well actually this Life I’m referring to is someone else’s Life. You might be asking yourself, “Now what-on-earth could T.M. be doing with someone else’s Life?”
I admit that our Lives were manufactured by the same tailor and seamstress, but I didn’t cavalierly grab any old Life from the rack as I dashed out the door only to realize my gaffe as I witnessed my animated hands deliver a precise punchline causing an eruption of laughter from the small, yet long-standing cadre of pals gathered near my bar stool. Uh-Oh, I thought as I threw back a shot of Jaegermeister, I must’ve grabbed someone else’s life today with immediate regret. I knew how ill-fitting this Life was, especially while sitting at a bar; what’s the chaser for Jaegermeister? Pickled ham hocks!
No, it wasn’t like that. It was more like Edward VIII turning to George VI and saying, “Your bloody stammer will not preclude my abdication! It’s my bloody crown and I’ll do with it as I please! When it’s yours, feel free to do as you please.”
So, what does the Gentlemen’s Guide to Etiquette say about “abdicating your Life?”
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 