Mike's day off.

I played hooky yesterday. Now, I know how Ferris Bueller really felt.

It was not planned, but spontaneous. And, when I made the decision to skip my responsibilities for the day, I fully recognized that it could end badly with me in the principal’s office the next day.

It was worth it.

Two of my good friends, Richard Bowers and Richard Brown, often take road trips together. They claim they are looking for real estate to buy. But, everyone knows better. We all know their trips are just so they can have fun, get away from the rest of us for a while, and enjoy each other as they see the countryside in places away from Jacksonville. Mostly they like to go to north Georgia or up into North Carolina.

Often, they have invited me to go with them, and always I have had to decline.

But, yesterday was different. This time their escape was only for a day, not the normal overnight adventure. And, God knows when they told me of their plans to scoot up to Darien, Ga.—about two hours north of Jacksonville—and return later in the day on Tuesday, I sure wanted to go.

But, with an early morning meeting on Tuesday and other work to do afterwards, I told them no.

Then, as I was sitting in my early morning meeting, I started thinking about what my two buddies would be doing all day, and my longing to join them got the best of me.

That’s when I phoned Richard Bowers and told him I wanted to go and he could pick me up when he collected Richard Brown at Brown’s house. Then, I hustled to a K-Mart and purchased a hooky uniform consisting of a pair of shorts, tee-shirt and sandals, which I exchanged for my pants, shirt and tie in a bathroom at Brown’s house.

From the moment I made the call to Bowers, I felt good. I don’t think it was because I felt I was getting away with something like when you skip school for a day. Instead, it was more because I knew what I was going to do was the right thing.

And, that’s exactly how it turned out. We did absolutely nothing that was important. Despite being together and talking for nine or ten hours, we said nothing that changed our lives or altered the world situation.

Just being together was the deal. Spending time to enjoy each other, no matter what we did or what we said, was what was important.

I can’t wait until I get another chance.

Value of a Rock and Roll Attitude

March 9, 2009

I’m sitting here at a kitchen table in our house in Jacksonville that has been on the market for almost three years.

Last Friday I lost one of my biggest and best clients because the CEO quit and he was my sponsor.

In two weeks, I will turn 65, and I have just signed up for Medicare.

And, I’m listening to foot stomping country music and having a glass of wine.

This is a time to count my blessings.

There are many.

But, life is not perfect.

It is relative.

A short while ago, I called my wife and left a message on the phone at our farm in Brooksville. “I’m looking for Annette McCrory,” I said. “I’ve been in love with Annette McCrory since we were eight years old, and I have a picture of eight year old Annette in my office.”

That’s blessing number one.

Shortly after that call, my cell phone died and I discovered I had left my charger behind at the farm when I left this morning.

Life is not perfect.

We have too many horses and too many mortgages to pay.

We also have so many friends; people we truly care about, and who I believe return that caring to the two of us.

That’s so important just because I am about to become 65. It’s been important to me for as long as I can remember.

In fact, I can clearly recall the day that my son David said something to me about my friends. “Dad,” he said, “you really have some great friends and you keep them close.”

Yes, David, I sure do.

I wish I did better with keeping my family close. David and his wife Carol and their two children Mack and Bret are now in Philadelphia, but it seems to me on so many days that they are much farther away and I need to pull them closer.

My parents are 86 and 88 and living in their home. They are doing okay, although my dad is kind of waiting to die. I figure there have been times he has been so mean that God is getting him back by keeping him waiting. They are in Columbus, Ga., about 6 hours from me. I see them three or four times a year and talk to them frequently. But, it should be more.

I am not sure, given my dark history, why Annette McCrory came into my life about ten years ago. She came into it with a huge beacon of light and a rock and roll attitude, and we’ve not looked back. Not once.

In fact, my greatest joy is being with her, watching her and talking about her. Nothing else is even close.

I love my life and just about every single thing about it.

I am not sure what will happen in the next several months. It might get tough.

But, as long as I have my beacon of light and my rock and roll Annette McCrory, I will be fine. We will do okay.