I was watching something on TV yesterday, guys working on TALL buildings, with nothing between them and the ground, but air. I thought to myself, "I could never have done that."
I don't like height, I don't like looking at pictures of height, or high places, my hands perspire, they are perspiring now just thinking about height, so I'm glad I never got a construction job, or became a fireman.
Many years ago, probably 1943, I was 11, we were asked to go sailing, in Michigan, with some friends we had made. They had a 30 foot sailboat, TALL MAST.
My Dad asked McFarland, "Whatever happens if that main sail rope breaks?"
"It never does, Doc."
It broke, just at that moment, like it was planned. We were pretty far out in Burt Lake.
"Joe, can you shinny up there and put this rope through that pulley."
"Sure," I replied and started up.
I got up about 10 feet or so, looked down, and slid down.
We paddled back to the boat well where the boat was kept, and my brother was enlisted to climb to the top of an overhanging tree and everyone got on the port side of the sailboat to make it lean, and the top of the mast and my brother met, and the rope was put into place.
I was going in to medicine, since my Dad was an MD, it was just assumed in those days. My freshman year of pre-med, not sure of the class, but we had to cut up something. Made me realize I did not want to be a Doctor. Not aware of my ADD then, would never have seen a "healing" through to the end. Lots of patients, no results.
I never could have been a Catholic Priest either. First, I wasn't a Catholic, and four wives and four children later, the celibacy thing would never have worked out. If it had not been for that, I would have made a good priest. Maybe all that kneeling would have kept my knees in better shape than they are now.
