The Good Side

Just to show I am not a melancholy dude….There are things guaranteed to put me in a good mood…..

1. Being Called Daddy: Nothing can beat the feeling of hearing that when you get home. It makes the potlucks and buying the candy all worthwhile.
2. Teaching Trainings at Work: I love doing this because it means that I know something so well that other people are willing to pay for me to show them how to do it. That’s the ultimate for egomaniacs. It’s always fun to look smart.
3. Watching little black children play: If you are driving pass a school during your lunch break, stop and watch the kids at recess. It will instantly put you in a good mood. They look so carefree and at peace. You wish you could find a way to keep that look on their faces until the time they have to be grown up and deal with serious things.
4. Nighttime on the Lakefront: There is something very peaceful about sitting on the lakefront at night watching the waves roll. You can do this all by yourself and be at peace. The best time of the year to is autumn. The wind is blowing and there are no mosquitoes. This ritual is heightened if you have a medium Orange 190 daiquiri with a shot of Everclear. I am going to make someone homesick.
5. My grandfather’s stories: He’s not here anymore but because he told me so many funny things about life there are times I am sitting around daydreaming and suddenly burst out in laughter. I’m sure it wasn’t all that fun to live through Jim Crow, World War 2, segregation, and Hurricane Betsy but he sure had a good time. That’s the funniest person I have ever known.
6. Sanford and Son: “Ester I didn’t put no stain on y’all family. Your family was stained when I met y’all. That old ugly stain. Even Ajax couldn’t get that stain off!” Who could be in a bad mood when laughing at that?
7. College Football: The second most favorite thing of mine that I use to totally drown out everything else going on in the world. It’s a known fact that I don’t leave the house on Saturdays between September and January unless it’s to go by my dad and watch a game with him.
8. Professional wrestling: Laugh if you want but there are times when a good wrestling tape will keep me from really tripping. It’s the only thing since I was 4 years old that has never gotten serious enough to require allot of thought.
9. A good pot of gumbo: I prefer mines with lots of File but some people make it different ways. By the way, anybody that tells you they made a pot of gumbo in less than 3 hours does not know what they are doing and you shouldn’t eat it. You can’t boil gumbo. It takes time for all the parts to come together slowly and create a beautiful mixture of spices and flavor. Mama if you read this I need a pot.
10. Going crabbing: This is the first year that I can remember that I won’t take a trip to St. Bernard Parish for a crabbing trip. I don’t know if we could even drive that far right now since the storm. The sun beams down on you all day. Your clothes get all muddy and you might even slip and end up in the water once or twice. I could do it everyday. It’s the ultimate family bonding experience.