My lunch with C.Y.sr.

I have spent an amazing afternoon with the father of a friend of mine. He is in his early 80's, slightly hard of hearing but still sharp and very interesting.
We went to a restaurant on a golf course, my choice. I thought that it would not be overly noisy and so easier for him to hear. A good choice as the tables are not on top of each other like at some eateries, and the view was lovely. We had a window table where a bird feeder had been set up outside, I have to look up one of the birds we saw.....A red "T" on it's chest, white and black, the size of a towhee.
Lunch was simple, not overwhelming, and well proportioned. We started with a conversation about relationships. Why they work and why they don't. He was curious about my marriage and why I feel it didn't work. I told him how my first husband and I still love each other and see each other often. Communication, I explained, was the problem with us. I am a talker, I like to work things out verbally and do not like to fight. He neither talked nor faught and so nothing was ever resolved and there was no growth. My friend said he thought that I was a confident, remarkable young woman......I had to admit that in reality I am "jello" inside alot of the time, I just make myself do whatever needs to be done.
We drove around after lunch continuing our chat. I feel so alive after spending time with this wise man. I wish my Dad lived closer, I miss him in my life. My children could learn so much from him. I don't think we put enough stock in our elders and it shows in our relationships. It is like everyone is trying to invent the wheel, when all we need to do is learn from the people who have already learned how to make one.
The kids are home now and I'll be chained to the stove for a bit, so off I go.