SEVEN TIMES ONE

Do you know your co-workers? How do you recognize what you know and what you don't? Is it fact, fiction or interesting rumor? Is it gossip?

Getting to know perfect strangers isn't easy. Some people are naturally very private. Some because they are fearful in revealing themselves to the world, others because they prefer not to invite the entire world into their business. Both are critical thoughts that often warrant an appropriate decision.

As I arrive at the pinnacle of my life, I'm motivated to share a few things about myself. My interest in doing so is to encourage people to become more sociable.

In the business community, it is crucial to comprehend methods of interaction with co-workers; peers, managers, directors, executives or perfect strangers that come into focus from existential forums like other businesses.

Toward that end, I've written this poetic country song lyric to share some things about myself. I hope my readers will find this topic and my humble script of some interest.

Family, whether business or personal, is foremost in my life. I hope some of my readers will be inspired to write and share a bit about who they are with their business or personal family-at-large (friends or perfect strangers).

Through this sharing, it's interesting how much of what we discover is ubiquitous to us. In other words, we have a great deal in common. But we cannot access mutual interests if we aren't aware of them.

In any case, sharing anything about one's self is invariably a 'gut check' of sorts. I hope you like it:

SEVEN TIMES ONE

Times gone by

Clouds broken clear blue ridge mountain sky

They say I was born on a hill

Mt. San Rafael if you will

Daddy drove trucks hauling hay

'til he left to join the military ?

Teen enlisted Uncle Sam's army that day

We laughed at good times and bad

Losses mourned with faith and grace

Daddy stood tall saluting

Silent and tough along the way

Weathered storm clouds of gray

Gave way to warm rays of sunlight

Over years eight hungry mouths to feed

Treasured infant brother

Rose eternal Mother Mary

Picture window Fisher's Peak reveal

Sunny days and a night-light moon still

Momma gave up everything to be sure

When we took ill

Momma's love brought comfort cure

Times gone by

Clouds broken clear blue ridge mountain sky

First off to fight MacArthur’s war

Heart of purple Douglas sun

Korea forgotten then Vietnam blue

For thirty-six years Daddy served

Three brothers, four sisters and me

Daddy's home on leave green duffle bag

Dress uniform at attention seeking

At the white wooden screen door peeking

Momma was Daddy

At school no one knew

She filled coal buckets and chopped firewood

Heated water cast iron heat

Washboard scrub stove top rub

Bathed us kids one at a time

On the kitchen floor

Round galvanized steel tub

Momma did the best she could

They say I'm a Momma's boy

I'm proud to argue that's true

She dressed us right at morning light

Fed us the best morning noon and dusk

Taught us about Creator

Father Son and Great Spirit

Warmed us with prayer every night

Sunday Mass Momma's blest sight

Times gone by

Clouds broken clear blue ridge mountain sky

I was nine when Grandma died

We stood solemn us and Momma cried

Got to know Daddy in my teens

Drill sergeant stranger wearing green

Momma sought retreat before Daddy retired

Over there the soldier's transport ship

USNS General Alexander M. Patch

Departed Brooklyn beneath Big Apple's

Unfinished Verrazano Narrows Bridge

Survived stormy English Channel passage

Docked at Bremerhaven Germany

Ten days Easter travel

The Atlantic sea crossing

Home in Munich

Black and Perlacher Forests

Shadowed trails tails of war mired

Three astonishing years

World history to match

When we came home Daddy taught me ranch work

How to fix cars with mechanics touch

Learned how to drive on the ranch and such

Daddy's dark green '50s Chevy 3600 pickup truck

An inline 216 stick four on the floor

Speed meter eighty not more

Electric steel pedal to start

Tight clutch window crank door

My brother and I cured our thirst to drive the first time

Didn't ask Daddy rode straight into the barbed fence line

We never told Daddy about that dead end road

It was my luck Daddy trusted me to mountain drive

To work and back warning me to check the oil first

Well I knew better

Rode to Monument Lake on sierra highway

Back home parked curb long

When next turned the key and pedal start

That old truck wouldn't fire

Engine was froze so was I

Oil went dry couldn't deny my mistake

Caught Daddy's eye deafening silence ensued

Disappointment in his eyes that's my take

Tended cattle hogs a horse and goats

Mixed poured and smoothed concrete

Broke sweat in summer heat

Cleared irrigation ditches

Man those pesky mosquito itches

There I stood wearing water soaked britches

Pitchfork truck bales to buck

Chores of slop corn maize mix

Muck and sell at auction sales

Momma taught me courage

Manners, kind ways, decency and respect

Where to find peace and fun in retrospect ?

Times gone by

Clouds broken clear blue ridge mountain sky

Momma took our hands

Off to school to learn

About music R life bands

None of us ever broke the law

We worked hard and read interesting books

Education through college she saw

Life wasn’t always easy

We struggled to make ends meet

Daddy’s sent love in military pay

Times gone by

Clouds broken clear blue ridge mountain sky

Daddy suffered

He was a wounded soldier

Disabled he fought life’s battle with honor and valor

Nightmares stole laughter and distilled our spirits

Seven decades today

As life’s regrets fade away

Blessed family is how I pray ?

Pepper Nutmeg and Mishka

A man’s best friend memories of others they

My life is well lived

Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters and me

I have everything and more

My wife and two sons R house is R home

Things don’t matter anymore

Love and thankfulness prairie floor

My Grandson and daughters-in-law ??

Sustain my fulfilled enduring core

Times gone by

Rocky Mountain blue ridge mountain high

Stretching for infinite miles

Elevating Creator's prodigious horizon

Momma and Daddy live eternal now

My feathers reach heaven on eagles wings

Where I hold their hands and touch their faces

We dance together forever more, forever more, forever more

Forever more in sacred hallowed places

Photo credit: Nate Perez, beneath Rocky Mountain Aspens

#business #socialskills

A poetic country song lyric ‘SEVEN TIMES ONE’ (a reference to infant Robert Rodriguez who passed in his infancy-the seven children times the one blessed angel in each of us) ? copyright 2024, authored by: Douglas ‘Doug’ Rodriguez, Wednesday, October 16th 2024, all rights reserved. ?