“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
– German Proverb
Rest assured, I don’t look like my grandfather … yet. But I’m heading in that direction. The fact that he’s smiling in the photo above gives me hope for the future, which is what this month’s note is about.
During my childhood days in Lincoln, Illinois, I knew Daddy Joe as the gruff old man who was my dad’s dad. He lived in a two-story Italianate-style house located on leafy and brick-paved Delavan street. During visits I’d usually find him seated in his wingback chair, the grey Mr. Cat on his lap, and a bowl of horehound candy at hand. In the next room, an old pendulum clock tick-tocked away our time together. I also recall, sometime before my tenth birthday, Daddy Joe slipping me a sip of his Manhattan during a Christmas Eve dinner at the Hotel Lincoln. Later on, I heard that he had once played baseball for the University of Pennsylvania, and was a stockbroker during the Crash of ‘29. When I see his picture, I often wonder what he thought about the world as he progressed through life. During his 83 years, he lived through events that would make anyone anxious about the future:
World War I
The 1918 Pandemic
The Great Depression
World War II
The Atomic Bomb
The Korean War
The Polio Epidemic
Elvis
The Vietnam War
Now that I am also a grandfather – ‘Daddy Jim’ was easily decided – it’s natural to worry about the kind of world my own grandsons will experience. But when I see the picture of my grandfather, I’m reminded that whatever worries he may have had, those worries had absolutely no effect on his life … my life … or anything else. While we can’t make our own weather, we can focus on the things we do control and not sweat the rest. “What, me worry?”. That perspective, and an occasional Manhattan, help make for a happy life. For a bonus helper, click here.
“If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today.”
– E. Joseph Cossman
“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.”
– Winston Churchill
Copyright © 2022 - Any opinions are those of James Aldendifer and not necessarily those of RJFS or Raymond James. The information contained in this report does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of the strategy selected. Links are being provided for information purposes only. Raymond James is not affiliated with and does not endorse, authorize, or sponsor any of the listed websites or their respective sponsors. Raymond James is not responsible for the content of any website or the collection or use of information regarding any website’s users and/or members.
