The last of the Musketeers story has been posted. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate hearing from folks who have read all 4. If you haven't read them yet, please start at Beach house, then, Fallon, LuAnn and Tina - in that order.
This is a fictional story based on real events. I took certain liberties with it but Michael assures me I've captured the flavor of the people and events. As we talked through it, we agreed that the lessons learned by a 16 year old were pretty impressive. I wish I'd learned those same lessons at that age. I also wish I would have found the love of my life that young.
Here are those lessons and after that a few points of clarification.
1. Women are mysterious - get used to it.
2. Gather facts but trust your gut.
3. People surprise you if you give them the chance. Every one of the Musketeers did. But so did Mr. Cassidy, Scott, Monica and more.
4. Women like men who are confident, decisive, have a sense of humor and know how to listen. It worked while I was dating and it works in my practice.
5. Never, ever underestimate a woman. Never.
6. Learn to dance. A psychology journal once carried an article that said dancing is socially acceptable, public foreplay. Sounds about right to me.
7. Respect people. Treat them right.
8. Your word is your bond. If you say you're going to do something; do it. No excuses, no alibis, no BS.
9. There are bad people in the world. Prepare for the day you meet them.
10. Determine or discover your goals and dreams, then plan to achieve them.
11. Uncork it. Give your woman pleasure but bring that same emotional enthusiasm to surfing or playing the piano and take it to the next level.
A couple of notes of clarification. I intentionally didn't include the Southern California surfer jargon of the early 70s. Michael grew up then and there. I didn't. I thought my interpretation of it would sound contrived.
Water polo - In the early 70s the Newport Harbor school district dominated in water polo. There were three schools that competed fiercely within the district but they were also the three best teams in the state and arguably the country. Football really was for pussies that couldn't swim. That's Michael's view and one he assured me that was shared by many.
If you still haven't watched the two videos mentioned in a previous blog, I highly recommend it.
There are lots of ways to support foster children and adoptive parents but The Dave Thomas Foundation does so on a national level. Michael and I sat down one night and tried to count the people positively impacted by one couple's decision to foster and adopt. We gave up when we got to 200. Send me an email or comment at the end of the story. I'd love to hear it.