Nelson and The Doctor

The leader of the band is tired
And his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through my instrument
And his song is in my soul
My life has been a poor attempt
To imitate the man
I'm just a living legacy
To the leader of the band

Dan Fogelberg “Leader of the Band”

Dad was trimming limbs from the apple trees when the ladder slipped and he fell.  He tried to catch himself, but his head hit the base of the tree.  The impact opened a cut about 2 inches long on his forehead.  I put him into the truck and drove to Dr. Rowe’s office.  “This is embarrassing,” he groaned as we sat in the exam room. “An eighty year old man is not supposed to have his son take him to the doctor.”  “An eighty year old man is not supposed to be climbing apple trees either,” I quipped.  Just then, Dr. Rowe entered the room. “What happened, Mr. Robertson?” he asked.  Without missing a beat my father replied “Doc, it’s my wife, my firewood, my story.”

Some of you are requesting Nelsonisms on particular topics.  Here are some of his thoughts on life.

"It’s not a mountain for a climber."

"Anyone who thinks that the sweat of a working man stinks has their nose too high in the air."

"If you think you can, you can.  If you think you can’t, you can’t."

"You miss all of the shots you don’t take."

"The difference in a person who would like to do something, a person who wants to do something and a person who does something is the level of their commitment."

"If your choices are do nothing or do something, always do something."

"The person you are when no one is watching is the person you are."