I borrowed a piece of a Churchill line this morning: “To be perfect is to change often.”
That sounds good for the Tuesday Chalkboard. It sounds noble and strong, but it just doesn’t fit me.
I’m not close to perfect, because I’m not built for constant change. Subtle change sure, but abrupt change has zero chance. I am a creature of habit, and I wear that badge comfortably. My bed has pointed north–south for most of my adult life so the sun knows exactly where to find me. Right in the morning and left in the afternoon. I still own shoes and coats that have been with me for thirty years. I am a white undershirt guy. Probably instilled into me after a dozen years of a Catholic school uniform. My coffee is strong and black like my running back, Walter Payton.
I have had to deal with some big changes through the years. Life, of course, had other plans. They closed my trading pit and handed me a computer monitor. They stopped printing my newspaper, and instead of folding it just right, I squint at headlines on a mobile phone. I still trust my radio more than a playlist or whatever they are calling those things now. Napster, PandaBear, iTunes........
Give me an Old Style over an IPA, a tavern over a bistro, and a dart board that doesn't make noises with flashing lights.
This Sunday, I will be watching the Super Bowl. Not this Super Bowl, the one I have on a beta tape from 1986.
I still call it the Sears Tower. My baseball team plays at Comiskey Park. A Daley will always be the greatest mayor this city ever had.
When I make it to Mass, rare, but sincere... I get looks because my words are older than the room. When the priest says, “The Lord be with you,” you will hear my old Board of Trade voice boom back:
“And also with you, Father.”
So no, I’m far from perfect, but I am perfectly consistent.
I will keep watching the sun, the moon, and the stars. I will take sausage and onions on my pizza and no ketchup on my hot dog. Give me a strong can and a subtle breast. A day game over one under the lights and an autumn night with a glass of bourbon over that summer night with a mojito.
Change happens, but some things are worth keeping exactly where they are.
