The Great American Black Hero

Chapter Four: Grandpa

 If grandma fell out of heaven, granddaddy walked out!

 There was no way in heaven or hell you would think the gently "BUDweiser" slightly drinking, white hair, old man, sitting in his favorite armchair in front of the T.V. {You see, even then Grandpa and I had something special in common. We both loved "Bud". But Grandpa drank 'Bud' {Old School}. I smoke 'Bud' {New School}.}

Now I think it is because women are more emotional than we remember them more.

They make more of an emotional impression.

Or maybe it is because I am a guy and just naturally think of women more. The women in my life seem to stick out more than the men. The men were supportive and the women were talkative.

The women were the lively active ones.

The men are stotic and passive.

You would think it would be the other way around.

And, all in all, these are some of the most remarkable people I ever met, and they were right here in my own family. So Grandpa was no exception. If I ever forget everything in my whole life my Grandfather ever said to me, the one thing I will always remember my Grandpa saying is:

"When you sneeze, blow it ALL OUT! Don't pull it back in. Blow it out! All out!"

I think that was my Grandpa's philosophy of life and all the problems of the world.

'To be sure and get the snot out!'

It really was a good piece of advice.

In Martial Arts, you are told to exhale forcibly with a loud sound in one exercise to release the 'dead air' in the lungs and body, much like what my Grandpa told me long ago.

Just like a lot of us fail to exhale as deeply as we inhale, forcing, what I call, "the bad air" out. So also we do not force the 'snot' out and the nose {life} and it {life} stays more 'clogged' than necessary.

And my good old Grandpa, bless his heart, was a 'mountain man' in the city.

We spent the night at Grandma's house a lot.

She had a two upstairs bedroom house and the other bedroom was always meant for us.

It was one of the best times of my young life to go over to Grandma's house and spend the night or weekend.

As I hungrily sat down one morning to one of my Grandma's excellent breakfasts, my Grandpa arrived on the scene and noticed how I was eating. I had bacon, eggs, sunny side up, grits, pancakes all piping hot and yummy and all on one plate and separated!

My Grandpa came over and said: "You don't have to eat your food like that! It's all going to end up together in one place anyway."

I was afraid to ask him what he meant by that. Too late.

Grandpa began to scrabble everything on my place into ONE meal or as I saw it, one big ugly mess!

"Now eat that!" He said. The eggs, bacon, grits, pancakes, all mix together on my plate in one pile. It looked like a pool of vomit. 'THANKS, A LOT GRANPA!' I said in my head looking up at him with the best smile I could muster at the time.

Thank God he left the room with a big grin on his face and my once yummy breakfast ended up in the trash can.

"Now that's a man's breakfast!" I remember him saying.

"Well, I was still a kid and this just was not getting it.

Can't help but love that man.

Oh yeah, and there was this other time Grandpa really came through like a trooper.