My father was the son of immigrants and grew up during the Depression. As a boy, he would accompany his father to work as a laborer in a millinery factory ( hat makers). He would recall the awful conditions there---the heat, the dust, the particles in the air---you couldn't breathe. And as you see, in his old age, my dad's vulnerable area is his lungs, and I wonder if it's related to this work as a youth. He was never a smoker except for the occasional cigar or pipe.
I think those early experiences of watching his father plug along, struggling through the Depression, and having faith from his immigrant family that the United States was a good land, instilled in my father a strong work ethic; serving in the army fostered a sense of patriotism as well. He was very excited to be drafted into the army during WW2 and go fight ("I must have been nuts" he'd say.) Fotunately for him, he scored high on some military test and got to study engineering before heading overseas. This delay probably saved his life.
His life was put on hold during the war, but it made for some incredible stories...maybe I will get to some of them eventually. He was in the South Pacific and Japan, and when he came home, he thought he would pursue engineering, but the market was overrun. Somehow, he became an accountant, but hated it---he found the work dull and would have problems with his supervisors, but it was better than any factory. I don't know exactly what the problems with the supervisors were---if he gets better I would like to ask him----I just got the sense he didn't respect them, for some reason. To change direction, he went to law school at night.
And here is the cool thing...in law, he found his passion. He LOVED his work. He loved meeting new people and having new problems to solve. He's had clients who lasted 50 yrs with him. And he'd get to bring home some neat stuff, like this rice paper stationery he gave to me from an Asian client, jeans from a manufacturer ( who incidentally, went bankrupt...he was too ahead of his time.) My father was fond of saying, " everything is rhythm and position," which I think meant something along the lines of being in the right place at the right time. Clearly, law was the right thing for him.
You know, my parents' marriage was very stormy, but one thing I have fond memories of is when my father used to come home from work, sit in the kitchen with my mother, and he'd share the latest problem to figure out at work. She loved his stories and was genuinely interested. I remember one day he came home with so much enthusiasm...there was a problem with a client that somehow involved engineering, and he was getting the chance to use some of his old knowledge. I have no idea what the details were, but I remember his passion, as it was the integration of his life's work.
It was very sad when his clients started to die off. He was part of their families. He was happy one day that he had found a 100th birthday card for an old client who was 99. Alas, she died before he could give her that card.
When I think of it, it really wasn't the problems of law that interested him, it was the people. With his compassion and sense of humor, he was very likeable. He is good with a quick joke. And still is. In Florida, his daily highlight is sitting with this group of old men around the pool. They sit in a circle. It's really amusing to watch from a distance. They share stories.
And thanks for this opportunity to share my story! xo.
