August 24th, 2020Kyle’s Rant

I called my dear old dad up the other day in New Zealand for his 76th birthday. The last time I saw him was March last year for a few days and about a year before that for the same amount of time. He is not good with technology, although back in the day could strip down and put back together engines in the pitch black while rolling around on the briny with a force-six southerly buster under way.
But back to the other day. When I made the time to call him something suddenly dawned on me as he enlightened me on his various theories that come to retirees with too much time on their hands. (Like his statement that I am catching up with him in terms of age, because when I was born, I was zero years old and now I am 52 to his 76 – what a head-scratcher that equation is.)
Anyway, what dawned on me was pertaining to the S word. Dad is now officially old as every S word has a slight whistle to it that our elders develop, maybe through hearing loss and therefore particularly pressing down on the S sound. Or is it that the weather strip of their lips start to lose the seal and lets out that gentle whistle that becomes a choir when they all get together over bingo.
It doesn’t really matter the how of it, it just matters that now he does it, just like my grandfather before him and as genetic telltales of my own makeup would suggest, I will probably develop the same habit.
Meanwhile the rest of my family are scattered from one end of Australasia to the other, making me reflect on where I want to visit when this border closure débâcle finally grinds to a halt. You really have to think about the importance of family and friends, and instead of checking another country off the bucket list, I think everyone will reprioritise in the new world post-2020.
In the old world, people would throw out hugs and those horrible European double kisses like they didn’t matter, whereas in the new world I think a hug should have a value and be directed at people you truly care about.
In the old world, we would get around to seeing the family once a year or so, when it was convenient. But for me anyway, in the new world family will hold a much higher priority than my work and travel.
I miss my dear old dad rant, over…