The 'Mean' Thing

My dad used to say that, "the mean thing, just don't get excited".
I really didn't understand why he used "mean" but I got the just of it when he would tell me this and it always made me smile.

I got to spend my summers and Christmases with my dad. It was just us and he kept me entertained by playing games. One of the best things he ever taught me was how to bluff. I basically learned to add playing Black Jack and wagering matchsticks. My enthusiam increased ten fold when we started using shinning new pennies instead of matchsticks. He would let me go to work with him and I'd construct a checker board from cardboard and Coca-Cola bottle tops. We'd play checkers when he wasn't busy working. He was a "company man", a train dispatcher, for all of his life. He'd let me help him by counting trains as they passed by the switchhouse and write down the numbers marked on each of the cars. To this day, I always buy the railroads first when I play Monopoly.

My dad was stearn but he did teach me discipline and how to stay calm when all others are losing their heads. "The main thing, is don't get excited."