I was daydreaming yesterday. In my mind’s eye, I wound up in this dump of a bar. I was sitting next to a skinny guy with funny hair. He seemed a little down and out.
I asked what was bugging him so bad that he found himself sitting at a bar at 10 in the morning (don’t ask me why I was there).
So the kid started telling me how everyone in his life was telling him off for not listening to their advice. He had been kicked out of high school for rowdiness when he didn’t want to go to school in the first place. Then he got married to the wrong girl. Then he did it again. And again. And again. He said he kept doing what other people wanted him to do and it always turned out to be a bad idea.
I started feeling sorry for this man who looked more like a lost boy. I thought he could use some sound advice from me.
So I said, “That used to happen to me. I thought others knew so much more than I did. Eventually, I succeeded by making mistakes and figuring things out for myself. That’s how I learned I should always do stuff my way.”
The kid smiled for the first time and thanked me for the advice.
And that’s the last time I ever sat at a bar with Frank.