Imagine Decades of
Wisdom
By Wendy Simons
Imagine being 3
years old and sitting on the knees of a senior engineer who help
construct the Oakland/Bay Bridge (1933-1936) asking him questions about
bridges……
Imagine being 8
and having your father (then 62 years old) tell you stories about
driving dairy cattle from Truckee to Auburn over “tinkers knob” before
winter…
Imagine being 10
and watching your mother (then 55) engage in a controversial political
battle over eminent domain issues at the legislature, a lesson in
politics from a passionate advocate…
Imagine being 12
and discussing religion with a retired Arch Bishop….
Imagine being 18
and engaging in a debate with a Supreme Court Judge….
Imagine being 25
and evaluating solutions to complex political situations with a former
Mafia Boss…
Imagine being 29,
hiring an older worker and having her work for you for over 27 years,
retiring her at the age of 87…. and having her teach you a lifetime of
caregiving….
Imagine being 30
and spending time with a 102 year old socialite from San Francisco who
is a genealogist, discussing family histories and pedigrees…
Imagine being 40
and having a conversation with a man who was a contract negotiator for
the Pentagon……
Imagine being 50
and caring for your first grade teacher (who is now 85) and she’s still
telling you how to do things and challenging you to think…..
Imagine being 52
and conversing with a man who was a senior engineer for NASA directly
responsible for the communication portion of the space station…..
Imagine being 55
and discussing customer service with the former head of hotel catering
for the Franklin Hotel (among others) in San Francisco…..
Imagine being 58
and having the joy of remembering so many mentors, so many individuals
of influence and experience as your guides, so many historical stories,
so much wisdom and the gift of time to share….
During this
season of memories and appreciation, I can only say to those who guided
me, thanks for the decades of wisdom you passed along to me. May I
share with those who sit on my knee and care to listen half of what you
taught me. Our world is richer for your having been in it.
