Funk

Have you ever woken up and felt like you're in a funk? Not really a bad mood, but not all right with everything. Funk is a word used for '…a mildly depressed state of mind." That is how I woke up today. I started reviewing what might be the cause, but nothing stood out to me. I got ready for work, said hi to the cats, and gave the dogs a treat as I walked out to the garage. Got in the Tahoe to drive to work.

As I started to drive, I kept thinking, 'Why do I feel like this. Today is Friday; I should be excited that the weekend is near.' Then I thought about Dad. He and I shared our birthday, and over the years, I missed only one birthday with him. That was when I was working in Florida. I called him that morning to wish him a Happy Birthday, and we had a great conversation. This next birthday will be my first one without him. Honestly, I had little in common with Dad. Our only common trait was our birthday. He liked sports, fishing, and teaching. I hate sports, can do without fishing, and I am definitely not a teacher.

On my drive this morning, I thought about why I hated sports, and at 65 years old, I think I finally figured it out. My birthday is always during the Thanksgiving holidays. When I was young, we drove to my grandparents' house, where we celebrated Dad's and my birthday. After my grandparents sold their store, they moved to the country onto a large piece of land bordering a lake. Their house was not large, maybe 2,000 square feet, so on the cold, rainy days in Arkansas, there was not much to do. My grandfather was a diehard football fan. With only one TV in the house, that was all we could watch unless there were no games. We would celebrate our birthday with cake and a few presents, but only between games. Everyone else in my family liked watching football games; I even tried to enjoy watching, but it just didn't make sense to me. So, I would hang out in the kitchen or in the bedroom I shared with my brothers, reading a book or playing with Hot Wheels cars. Sometimes I would go outside, but it was bone-chilling cold. Maybe that is also why I hate cold weather. My only choice was to listen to the football game on the TV in the living room or be cold when I tried to escape the noise. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but I was just the odd man out.

Interesting how things from our younger days affect how we live today. The only exception to sports being forbidden in my house is when Jennifer wants to watch something. Every once in a while, she watches a game, but most of the time she goes over to her sister's house, since our brother-in-law is a diehard sports fanatic. The Olympics are about the only exception since she loves to follow those events. Sports and sports talk are totally forbidden in my garage. My garage, my rules.

Anyway, today is Friday, which means pizza and movie night. I am sure my mood will improve as the day goes along. To sum it up, I hate sports, I hate cold weather, I love cars. There, I feel better already.