This week’s letter for my retirement buddies.
Letters from Josh
Brothers Letter 75 3/28/22
Well, howdy, folks! How ‘bout them cherry blossoms? What a time of year! Although, it’s still freezing here in Rustburg. No need to participate in that time-honored country tradition of keeping a refrigerator on the front porch, as any shelf will do. Earlier today, I stood in the cold sunshine, showing a neighbor kid how to give the horses treats. “Watch out for this one in particular - she’s mean!” He’s in 6th grade, and isn’t a fan of his English studies. We talked about that a bit, and I told him I used to hate it, too, but then turned into a writer, giving him some encouragement to press on. This got me thinking about advice, and in turn, you all. Oh, how I treasure your stories, input, and advice. Obviously, there’s an age difference between us. It’s weird how our culture seems to cringe at the extra birthday candles, and ignores the wisdom that can only be gained by years lived. I’m not about to make that same mistake. So, if you’ve got some gems to share, I’m all ears. Three questions for you: 1. What do you think is important? And how do you focus/pursue that? 2. What’s something you wish you knew about relationships when you were younger? 3. How do you best face hardship? Also, do you have any investing advice? Drop me a line if you’re so inclined! JoshUrban@ProtonMail.com On lighter topics, my brothers came to visit. Picture three siblings, each one wearing a giant bell on his head like an oversized hat. Then, imagine that each brother also had a wooden bat. The object of the game is to ding the other guy on the bell head, thereby making his ears ring and teeth chatter, raising his blood pressure and eliciting bellows of friendly rage. We didn’t actually do this, but the metaphor is accurate for our interactions. Don’t show weakness, or you’ll get dinged. We had a blast. There was the trip up the mountain, temporarily blocked by a fallen tree. With the help of a winch, bow saw, and a lot of grunting, it was cleared. A footrace to the top vs. the go karts (the runner won), and then back down again (the runner also won, but at the cost of falling twice, getting lost, and then poked in the eye with a branch. Such is the price of victory.) We call my mother Jane Goodall, a fitting reference to the chimpanzee researcher. That’s about it for this week, folks! Stay strong, and keep an eye on those cherry blossoms!
- Josh