Dredging google stirs up a list of attributions for this quote in one form or another. For myself, it will always be one of the earliest life-lessons gleaned from my father. A hard-working life-long employee of the Boeing Company, Ed Jones was born in San Jose, Costa Rica in 1953 – two decades before the final poliomyelitis outbreak in that country. Two decades too early for dad. We’ve never had a conversation about it in our lives, yet I can’t help but feel the adversity he dealt with was a “boy named Sue”  situation— you know, where one must “get tough or die”. Dad currently lives in Everett, Washington with his wife of over 20 years. An equally tough woman from Vietnam, Dung "June" Jones is always looking to trade recipes or toss pops an “I told you so!” when I agree with her about what color they should paint the kitchen. She also works for Boeing.

 

Its impossible to talk about myself without talking about loss, especially as I age (like a fine peaty Islay scotch, if you’re asking). I was four years old when we lost my mom, and thirty-four when we lost my younger brother. Dylan was the funniest kid I’ve ever met in my life. We raised him on Jim Carrey movies and MAD TV. He never let us forget it. Neither of them made it out of their mid 20’s. Life can be a real son-of-a-bitch.

It can also be awesome. My half-sister Catherine is a genius currently obliterating the debate competition on a full scholarship at Seaton Hall University, and I was lucky enough to be a father for a time. Aubrey and I still keep in touch, and even though I was late to arrive in her life and our time as a nuclear family ended too soon, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience being someone I never actually thought I could be.