Lessons From the Edge

You shouldn't take yourself too seriously.

I was looking forward to doing my Resident of the Week interview this week.

Because the next person up is H.

He is a charming man. Seems very cultured and proper. He knows all about music. And he can sing! He usually wears a button-down shirt and dress pants - often his shirts are monogrammed. In short, H is a classy guy - and I was looking forward to getting to know him more.

Our interview started off as I would expect. Childhood memories, the way things 'used to be', an impressive work history - including H's selection for Officer Training School in the United States Navy.
But when I asked, "What makes you smile?" I was surprised by his response. H said, "I have my own teeth!" And I started laughing.
H went on to say that he was raised in a family with a good sense of humor. He knows it's important to laugh.
I finished the interview by asking if there was anything else H thought I should know before writing up his story. He looked at me and said, "I've never been in jail." And he laughed.

And as I thought about it more, I was able to recall that for as many times as I have been impressed by H's air of 'cultured', I have been touched by his wonderful belly-laugh. H was a gun captain in World War II. He studied at Princeton and Columbia. He's been in management for big companies. He's even been an upper-level guy at a couple of NATO bases. He is an accomplished man.

But he still knows how to laugh, and he knows you shouldn't take yourself too seriously.