And my Mother Said, “You Will Regret This”

I was 19 years old at the time. As with all 19 year old boys, I thought I knew something. I was entering my “Western” moment in time. In truth, I still adhere to a lot of these thoughts - like on how men are supposed to behave. Men are supposed to be loyal. Men are supposed to be honorable. Men are supposed to be dutiful. Men are supposed to behave in a dignified manner. I track a lot of these behaviors down my mother’s side. It is probably due to the influence of my mother’s mother but, in truth, I think it is genetic… in my DNA.

Anyway, these behaviors also are dominant to male characters in American Westerns. And I was really into anything Western. This was difficult for a boy who lived at home in Davenport, Iowa and had never sat a horse. I, truthfully, had enough sense not to see the point in the whole “horse” thing. No practical way to achieve Return on Investment. I eventually did achieve the “truck” thing which scratches the same itch . More on trucks in another post.

But, I could achieve Western Wear which I did. En Masse. The most long lasting effect of my multi year fascination in Western Wear was in cowboy boots, those pointy toe aberrations of functional men’s footwear. This is where my mother’s comment comes into play.

And I am still regretting not taking her advice.

Now, I am 73 years old and am supposed to have aches and pains which I am willing to accept but something as dumb as the mess I made of my feet by not listening to her single off hand comment galls me to this day. I know she figured “Stupid is as Stupid Does” applied to her 19 year old son.

But, again, I am her son and her mother’s grandson, who tracks down her ancestry line and I inherited the stubborn gene of that clan. I think I can figure out a way to, at least, get along with my feet.