Picture this scene: Dad and my brother Greg are walking along the beach. The sun is out, ocean waves are breaking on the shoreline, and individuals of all ages are taking a pleasant morning stroll. Everyone is minding his or her own business and innocently enjoying ‘private time’ in a public place.
But to Dad, ‘private time’ was a wonderful time to observe those around him—and utilize his expert talents for spotting health problems others couldn’t even imagine. “I noticed Dad would look closely at certain people walking toward us,” Greg said. “From time to time he would let me know what malady he could detect in some of these unwitting subjects, though I was pathetically self-conscious and felt they were not as unwitting as they seemed. ‘Dad, why do you stare at everyone like that?’ He enthusiastically replied, ‘I’ve always been a student of the flesh.
Dad certainly was a ‘student of the flesh.’ And the world was his classroom. He claimed he could size up the medical histories of complete strangers by simply observing how they walked, spoke, smelled and so on. And he didn’t hesitate to share his conclusions LOUDLY. If a person sloped to the side (as I did once when I was while walking on uneven beach sand), he predicted “…a terrible future of osteoporosis.” If anyone happened to “toe-out” when walking or standing—even momentarily—Dad would lecture about the perils of “bad gait,” which could be linked to everything from diabetes to fungal infection. He once walked by a public restroom and said to me, “Smell that? That person must have eaten a bad hamburger.”
No bodily function, respiratory sniffle or intestinal gurgle could get past Dad’s five senses without a thorough critique. As kids, my siblings and I had the typical assortment of falls and minor scrapes. But we learned quickly that we’d rather deal with pain than deal with Dad. Limping? That was a big no-no in our house. Bandaging a cut or favoring a sore ligament were also frowned upon —because Dad was convinced such “artificial” means would impede the natural course of healing. “Straighten it out and move it around!” was his standard remedy for any injured limb. The slightest sign of a cold would also get Dad going. If one of us began coughing in an aggressive manner, Dad would bellow, “Get it UP!” This was his way of telling us to forcibly remove the germ-laden mucus from our bronchial paths using one of nature’s miraculous weapons, the cough—but bystanders would look at us in total confusion (especially since Dad could be counted on to yell out these unique instructions in restaurants, movie theaters, and other public places).
When our family began to expand, with in-laws and grandchildren, Dad delighted in having a whole new crop of people to diagnose. Unlike his own children, these newcomers were an untapped resource and usually taken aback by Dad’s bluntness. Anyone’s pregnancy inevitably brought out the best of his “body talk” skills. When one of our children was an infant, and we were at a family party, Dad bellowed to Donna—drowning out the volume of about 25 other family members—“WOULD THE LACTATING MOTHER LIKE SOME NICE CALCIUM-RICH ICE CREAM?” Another time, one of my nieces brought her six-week-old to a holiday. As everyone is seen oohing and aahing over the baby (it’s on video), Dad is front-and-center asking the new mom intricate questions about the newborn’s “elimination patterns” (what others would call the “pooping” schedule). “Oh, everything’s fine,” said my niece, visibly biting her lip to keep from laughing. “Because, you know, the natural process of good elimination is very important in allowing a baby to thrive,” said a dead-serious Dad.
My father. There was no one like him for combining the best intentions with the worst timing.
(To be continued….)
If Dad saw this picture, he's probably chastise me for slouching too much.
Wonderful history of your father and family. Also wonderful that you are so proud of your father.
His legacy lives on.
some truly wonderful information, Gladiola I observed this.
I don’t unremarkably comment but I gotta admit thanks for the post on this amazing one : D.
very good put up, i certainly love this web site, carry on it
Nice post. I study something more difficult on different blogs everyday. It’ll always be stimulating to read content material from different writers and observe somewhat something from their store. I’d want to make use of some with the content on my weblog whether you don’t mind. Natually I’ll provide you with a hyperlink on your net blog. Thanks for sharing.
glad to be one of several visitants on this amazing site : D.
you are actually a just right webmaster. The site loading pace is amazing. It sort of feels that you are doing any unique trick. Moreover, The contents are masterpiece. you’ve performed a magnificent activity in this subject!
What i don’t understood is actually how you are not actually much more well-liked than you may be right now. You are so intelligent. You realize therefore significantly relating to this subject, made me personally consider it from a lot of varied angles. Its like men and women aren’t fascinated unless it’s one thing to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs nice. Always maintain it up!
An intriguing discussion is definitely worth comment. I do think that you need to write more on this subject, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people do not talk about such issues. To the next! All the best!!
I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I do not know who you are but definitely you are going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!
Enjoyed studying this, very good stuff, regards.
I got what you mean ,saved to bookmarks, very nice web site.
Good post! We will be linking to this great content on our site. Keep up the good writing.
I used to be very pleased to find this net-site.I needed to thanks to your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoying every little little bit of it and I’ve you bookmarked to take a look at new stuff you blog post.
Thanks for another informative blog. Where else could I get that type of info written in such a perfect way? I have a mission that I am just now working on, and I’ve been on the glance out for such information.
I love it whenever people come together and share views. Great website, keep it up!
Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I genuinely enjoyed reading it, you are a great author.I will make sure to bookmark your blog and may come back very soon. I want to encourage you to ultimately continue your great posts, have a nice morning!
This is a really good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere. Simple but very accurate information… Thank you for sharing this one. A must read article!
web site index.