Have Fun, Dad

It's sad but true that when people age, young people tend to look at them differently. They either treat an older person like he or she is invisible, or they become unduly concerned about them.

Here's an example. I was waiting for a bus the other day. There was no bench at the stop, so I picked a nice spot beneath a shade tree and sat down to wait for the bus which was due in about 20 minutes.

It was pleasant sitting there in the warm South Carolina sunshine. I closed my eyes and was surprised when a female voice asked, 'Are you okay?'

I smiled. 'I'm fine. The real question is, are you okay?'

The girl was in her early 20s. She had been driving down the highway when she saw me and pulled her car off the road to check on my condition. I told her I was a former rodeo cowboy and that she had nothing to worry about.

I joked with her and even managed to toss in a flirting remark by asking if she was married. She blushed, shook her head, and said, 'I have a boyfriend.' I pretended to be disappointed and said, 'Oh.' She smiled, waved goodbye, and left.

As her car pulled back onto the highway, I thought, 'How nice it was for her to stop.'

I am in my 70s and one of my favorite hobbies is playing poker. Unfortunately, there are no legal casinos in the Charleston area, so I have to travel to Jacksonville, FL. four hours away to play.

Although I play poker for money, that isn't the only factor that motivates me. I like poker for the social aspects of the game. I have friends I meet in the poker room and enjoy playing against them. Win or lose, they are always in a good mood and we thoroughly enjoy the game.

There are several regulars who show up night after night to play in the Omaha High-Low game. Sometimes we play $4-8 with a kill, and sometimes the game is pot limit. The regulars include a guy in his 60s who reminds me of an old western gunslinger. I sometimes refer to him as Doc Holiday. He moans when he loses a pot, but I don't think he means it. It's just part of his sel-depreciating sense of humor.

Even my daughter, with whom I share an apartment, likes it when I take the AMTRAK or a Greyhound Bus to Jacksonville. While she likes it when IWIN, that isn't of paramount importance to her.

She drives me to the train station at 4 a.m. Before I leave the car, she hugs me and says, 'Have fun, Daddy.'

Hey, having fun. Isn't that what life is supposed to be all about?

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).