What's in your wallet?

My physical wallet is pretty boring.  A few bucks.  A Starbucks, Quick Trip, and WalMart gift card, with $0.67, $1.23 and $1.74 left on them, respectively.  A $2 off coupon from when I got my haircut in 2017 at Great Clips, and yeah, the ink is gone, ya can't read it. Business cards from folks I've never done business with, nor probably ever will.  See?  Toldya, pretty boring.

Had a buddy.  He was (and still is) in love with this chicky.  Thirty years ago when they were dating, he had a pic in his wallet of her... and her ex boyfriend.  He liked this one pic of her so much, he put masking tape over the dude, and kept her smiling face front and center for him to see when he opened his wallet.

Another buddy I worked with, Fernando Papi (originally from Argentina, well, he had trouble with 'J's. I ain't making fun of him, because he was accomplished in TWO languages - he yust had trouble with J. (John was Yohn, Yolly St. Nick.. Yoy to the world, you get the idea.)  His famous phrase was "It not my yob man, it not my yob."  Anyways, in his wallet, he kept a picture of his "Pride and Yoy, " which was, actually a picture of a bottle of Pride and a bottle of Joy.

Life brings us much, wonderfully, to our 'wallet.'  Victor, are you gonna get all sentimental and talk about yesterday AGAIN?  Uh huh, I am.  Age, not giving much of a rat's ass (I wonder what the origin of that saying is?) brings one to "It's my party and I'll blog about the past if I want to... you could blog too if it happened to you."

And I'm sure it has.

BFF's.  Some have one.  Some have several, and I suppose many don't really have one.  I have one, but life's twists and turns have kept us from doing much more than a few emails the last several years - BUT, he will always be my best friend.  You?

LLF.  That's life long friend.  There's a gang of girls in the HS class one year older - I watch in amazement as they go (and have always gone as a LLF group) to concerts, sporting events, birthday celebrations, and most recently Maui, together.  Lifetime wallet.  LLF's. Yum, and kudos.  I think we've all got LLF's.

CIW.  (Coworkers in wallet)..  Various lengths of time.  Lord I've had way too many jobs, or yobs as Fernando would say - but I know I'm blessed in that, every time I run across one of them - a smile and memories instantly surface.  Know what I mean Vern? I never actually worked with a Vern, but, there's a friend from HS named Vern.

Which brings us to classmates.  Adored classmates.  People in one's wallet, of ANY age, are special.  But - Victor, you can't start a sentence with 'but.'  But, wallet friends the same age are unique.  We've gone thru much... being kids..  kisses at the Plaza Theater.. sock hops.. cruisin.. sports.. music.. some, moving, perhaps ne'er e'er to see again.  But, shared, coupling, having/raising kids.. struggling thru a lifetime of that damn word 'work'..  RETIREMENT... I'd use a bigger size type if I could, but GRANDKIDS!  We shared Elvis, doing the Twist in the dodgeball circle at Franklin School (remember getting in trouble for that?), landing on the moon, JFK's fateful day.. 9/11..  aging parents..  The sum is, this wallet friend is pretty damn special - MUCH, shared.

Educators.  Not just teachers, but too, scout leaders, baseball/swimming/tennis/soccer coaches.. The people we learn much from, including representation, skills, teamwork, camaraderie.  The niche of respect in our wallets..

Smidgits.  These are fleeting friendships, wallet events, along the way.  Could be the dude you talked to for two hours from MCI to LAX.  The hairdresser, barber, grocery clerk, next door neighbor, insurance man/woman, lawyer, accountant, yada.. smidget friends.  Some smidget-friendships continue fairly long, some, very fleeting - still, each/all, special.  Smidgets make an impact in our wallets.

Blood.  Yes, thicker than water.  We may spat, we may take respites, we may not.  No matter, wallet specials.  A connection, forever.  A sense of loyalty, a sense of love, respect, specialness.  As one ages, tosses an old purse or wallet, ya always put these folks in your next wallet, purse - forever etched.

Inlaw/Outlaw.  When one is in love, the love spills over into love for 'their blood.'  Divorce, death, may happen - but too, hopefully you still have an attachment, a place in your wallet, for inlaws/outlaws.  Outlaw is what my ex sister inlaw and I call each other.  Different day, different situation, always though, the same wallet.

Can you think of other kinds in your wallet?  Oh yeah, pets.  I love my God, but mebbe it's backwards in length of life of pets as compared to our own.  Someone once said "Isn't really all we want is to love and be loved in return?"  Uh huh, and what better for the wallet than pets.  Like the number of jobs (yobs) I've had, so too is the number of pets (thankfully) large.  Too many to name (you're welcome) but, each, every one, special.  Some no likey pets, and to each his/her own.. the majority of us though, look at these wonderful creatures with the love of a child, BFF, blood, that stuff.  Good stuff.  They're in our wallet, 4evr.

Time, trips around the sun, and sometimes illness cause us to slip, forget, what's in our wallets.  (This aging thing is also the reason I keep a key to my car, and to my apartment in my actual wallet.)

I hope you are like me in that your wallet is full, and that's it's afforded many a smile over the years.

Upon death, it ain't so much about all the fives, tens, twentys, 401K's in one's wallet - it's moreso all of the above.

Have fun the resta your life, remembering "What's in your wallet?"

Love, Victurd