As I lay in bed, with your Mom's uncles playing to a captive audience just on the other side of the wall, I find it hard to sleep. I also find myself thinking a bit about how different I am from this group. This is fine, and possibly preferable to having and extended Sheldon family that was more like me.Everyone here, in this rather large group, surfs a lot. Once and sometimes twice a day they go surfing. Yesterday I listened to a story of one of the younger nieces taking the dog out on the board. Rasta is the dog's name, and apparently he stayed up for about 2 minutes. Which is longer than I think I could manage incidentally. Though I don't think I will be trying anytime soon. Everyone comes up to you Owen (as we are here for your Great Grandmother's funeral service and 'everyone' really does mean everyone) and says; "aww....looks like you got yourself a little surfer here." I don't think it will be long before you are out there, paddling out to catch a couple of waves. Not long at all. From the dual-master degree college students to the professional model, everyone surfs here.
As I am up with you early, I see you playing with the paraphernalia of the performance of last night. The used gear is neatly stacked in hard cases, with one left provocatively open. Right now you are fascinated with one of the 20 harmonicas that have been left out....apparently for your enjoyment and education. All of Coral's uncles, and there are 4 of them, play guitars, pianos, harmonicas, and sing with a respectable proficiency. All of them seem to have their own specialization. All of them love to perform. In fact, that is how I met your Grandfather Sheldon, for the first time. He was playing a guitar and singing at a local Olympian restaurant.
And talking. So much talking. Granted there are a lot of people, here in Coos Bay, gathered at the old Sheldon house. With that said, your mother and her father's wife talked for the entire trip here, just the two of them.....for six hours straight....non-stop. This is something your mother occasionally mentions to me as one of her dislikes. The fact that I don't talk that much on car trips drives her crazy, and i think she thinks it means we aren't "living". I see now, what I am being compared to. This place was like a bee's hive the other night. You and I retired early for the evening, as we fell asleep to hum of the jabber. This is a fine thing, it is just not my cup of tea.
I am struck by how different I am from this group. I prefer quiet evenings, quiet mornings and dry land. I am not nearly as theatrical or entertaining. I have tried to be these things and had mild successI was in popular boy choirs, at an early age. I sang in an opera, competed on the state level in High School with my voice and sang in a rock band, for a brief time. But these days, I would rather listen to the wind blow or talk radio. I understand the value of such people in your life, Owen. It is a good example to express yourself freely and without shame. Though I sing to you, quite a bit, I don't suppose that I will be whipping out any instruments any time soon.
I plan on teaching you some things, most of which I have no idea what they will be, but I think my offerings to you will be much different than what I am seeing here.
The piece of paper stuck on the late Great Grandma Dixie's refrigerator admonishes to "Never...stop moving." This seems to be the conventional, and widely acclaimed wisdom of the day. Perhaps even the mantra for most of civilization, for the last several generations. One could argue though, that it is this quest for constant movement and growth that has gotten us into predicaments we find ourselves. I guess I will be the family member to urge you to find the silence, the stillness, the emptiness in your mind and cherish it. I can attest to you that peace and happiness can be found there. It is not as flashy, it is not as much fun, perhaps, but it is another, valid path to contentment. The only one that really worked for me. With that said, learn an instrument if you desire. Almost all of my friends, it seems, play an instrument or two. Be theatrical if you wish, many great stories can be passed on this way. Be whatever you want to be, but know it's ok to be different than what is prevalent.
