Long-time Friends

Speaking of hardly aging, when I as in Ann Arbor to give the Cup talk in early December, we caught up with Frank and Judy Wilhelme for a late dinner at Gratzi and then some after-dinner drinks and pool across Main Street at Andy Gulvezan's Monkey Bar (formerly the Full Moon -- don't ask.).

Judy is still a senior librarian at the U of M, and Frank the very successful development director for the Business School. Back in the late 60's (!), Frank was Leslie's and my high school history teacher. Aside from losing the Fu Manchu mustache of the era, he's still the same Mr Wilhelme who stirred things up so nicely in Dexter with the advent of his controversial Symposium Club, and he's still lacing 'em up and playing once or twice a week with many of our, by now, older hockey-playing buddies.

Tom Sr., Judy and Frank Wilhelme on a cold winter's Friday evening, just "shootin' some pool" at the Monkey Bar which, rumours to the contrary, they do not often frequent.

Hardly Aging

This submission from Grandpa Tom, who is not even close to age 80, yet....


Two old guys, one 80 and one 87, were sitting on their usual park bench one morning. The 87 year old had just finished his morning jog and wasn't even short of breath. The 80 year old was amazed at his friend's stamina and asked him what he did to have so much energy. The 87 year old said "Well, I eat rye bread every day. It keeps your energy level high and you'll have great stamina with the ladies. So, on the way home, the 80 year old stops at the bakery.

As he was looking around, the sweet older lady behind the counter asked if he needed any help. He asked, "Do you have any rye bread?"

She said, "Yes, there's a whole shelf of it. Would you like some?"

"Yes, please, three loaves."

"My goodness, three loaves... by the time you get to the third loaf, it'll be hard."

"In that case," he said, "I'll take two dozen!"

Reflections

Grandpa Tom sent this nice bit to the EFB as his holiday contribution...

If we could reduce the world's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, the demographics would look something like this:

60 Asians
12 Europeans
5 US Americans and Canadians
8 Latin Americans
14 Africans

49 would be female
51 would be male

82 would be non-white
18 white

89 heterosexual
11 homosexual

33 would be Christian
67 would be non-Christian

5 would control 32% of the entire world 's wealth and all of them would be U.S. citizens

80 would live in substandard housing

24 would not have any electricity (and of the 76 who do have electricity, most would only use it for light at night)

67 would be unable to read

1 (only one) would have a college education.

50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation

33 would be without access to a safe water supply

1 would have HIV

1 near death
2 would be near birth

7 people would have access to the Internet

If you take a look at the world from this condensed perspective,
the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes evident.

Think of it!

If you woke up this morning with more health than sickness,
you are luckier than the million that will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced a war, a loneliness of an imprisonment, an agony of tortures or a famine, you are happier than 500 million persons in this world.

If you are able to go to church, mosque or synagogue without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death, you are happier than 3 billion persons in this world.

If there is a meal in your refrigerator, if you are dressed and have shoes, if you have a bed and a roof above your head, you are better off than 75% of people in this world.

If your parents are still alive and still married, then you are a rarity.

If you have a bank account, money in your purse, and there is some savings in the bank, you belong to 8% of well-provided people in this world.

If you read this text, you are blessed three times as much because someone has thought of you.

You do not belong to those 2 billion people who cannot read and... you have your computer!

So be grateful and:

+ Work like you don't need money,

+ Love like you've never been hurt,

+ Dance like nobody's watching,

+ Sing like nobody's listening,

+ Be surprised like you were born yesterday,

+ Tell the truth and you don't have to remember anything, and

+ Live like it's Heaven (whatever that is or supposed to be) on Earth.




Generational reflections: Grandpa Tom and Meg on the tractor at Portage Yacht Club a few years back.