Raymo’s Ramblings

It seems we are having a family crisis! And it’s over the length of my hair!! That’s right, my family is so concerned over the length of my hair they can’t stop discussing it and it has given not only me, but my family some stress in our lives.

Let me define what a family crisis is “A family crisis is a situation that upsets the normal functioning of the family.”

 And so it seems the length of my hair has “disrupted” the normal functioning of my family. My own adult children and spouses and some grandchildren along with my loving wife of 40 years have voiced their displeasure of the length of my hair and want it cut. This is consuming them!!

Let me explain, a few months ago I canceled my hair cut with my hairstylist because of a scheduling conflict, my hair was long at that time and I needed a haircut. As time went on and as my hair grew longer in the back and it was actually starting to hang over my shoulders now, I thought it started to look pretty cool, just like I had it when I was in high school some 40 years ago. The 1960’s and 70’s was the age of long hair for guys.

Each morning after my shower, I would gel up my hair and comb it like I always do and wow I was really liking the new look in the mirror. I was looking younger and hipper with long hair! I was feeling pretty good about myself.

Then the comments started coming in from not only family members but coworkers, friends and student athletes

When are you going to get a haircut?

You look like you don’t care what you look like

It doesn’t look very professional

It’s too shaggy

59 year old men don’t have long hair

What are you doing?

He’s having a midlife crisis

So in order to resolve this “family crisis” I have scheduled a haircut with my hairstylist! And we will be back to being a normal functioning family, and the world will be at peace again!

My grandchildren always put a smile on my face whenever I see them.  Being a grandpa is just so cool, I have six grandchildren, three girls and three boys, the oldest is 10 and the youngest is 8 months. And I’m hoping for more in the future.

One of my favorite moments of being a grandpa is going to their house and opening the door and hear them come running to the door and yelling GRANDPA IS HERE!! And jump into my arms and give me kisses and hugs, all of them do that and every time. So that’s why they always put a smile on my face. And it works the same way when they come to my house, they run right by grandma (grandma is use to it by now…haha) and run as fast as they can and jump into my arms and shout GRANDPA! I love that when that happens and I pray as they grow older they continue to do that. It’s a special moment I cherish.

And that brings me to my Grandpa Raymo, who I loved very much and remember doing the same thing even when I was a teenager, we were huggers.  I loved going to New Richland Minnesota and going to the farm and spending time with Grandpa and Grandma Raymo. Grandpa taught me how to drive a car, how to drive a tractor, and shoot a shotgun. He gave me advice, he wrote a letter when I was a teenager telling me how much he loved me, I have that letter in my Bible.

 He was very funny, we laughed a lot together. I can never remember my grandpa angry or say a bad word about anyone. He was so much fun to be around. You know what else is special about my Grandpa Raymo? He wore Old Spice cologne, and to this day it’s my favorite cologne, whenever I see Old Spice or smell Old Spice, I think of grandpa. It’s been 40 some years since he died and I still miss him very much and think about him often.

So when I’m with my grandchildren, I want to be the best grandpa ever and create memories that they will cherish after I’m long gone.  

Well let the blogging begin! I’m very excited to start blogging, it’s been kind of fun to put this all together and think about how often to blog, what to write about, how much to write, and enjoyed coming up with the name Raymo’s Ramblings with help from friends.   Well to answer a few of those questions, I am going to release two blogs a week, Wednesday and Sunday evenings. I have also decided not to just write about high school sports, but everything about life and my experiences I have with people. My job gives me the opportunity to meet so many different people and hear their stories from around the Q92 listening area. And I find that so rewarding to be able to travel around southwestern Minnesota and meet so many great people, like Bill Pierce who is biking from Mexico to Canada at the age of 69, how I enjoyed visiting with him at Talking Waters Brewery in Montevideo while he was coming through the area. What a story Bill has to tell, I found him to be a very gentle and intelligent man who loves people and enjoys learning the history of all the communities he bikes through, and that he will be writing a book about his journey. He talked about the people he has met along the way, and I’ll always remember something he said, I asked him if he has had any problems with people along the route, and if he was afraid of being robbed or mugged?  And Bill said, “no not at all, Paul don’t watch the TV or read the newspapers, that is not the America I see!  We don’t need to make America great again, it is great, it’s the people that make it great, and I have met so many kind people along the way!” Amazing man that Bill!  I’ll post his web site link so you can follow him and read his blog as well. Until Sunday evening!

www.ridingintospringtime.com