Pop's Question

They say that memories of good and bad times are like "writing on water" which  can only remind us of the impermanence of everything--and the constant ups and downs of life, and this is very true, I think.

But I remember those easy afternoon talks with Pop (as we brothers called our father) during our Children's Hour as some of my most pleasant family experiences as an adult.

Sometimes I did the talking when we were together and sometimes Pop asked me questions about my life and travels.

For example, sometimes while I was making a pilgrimage, I was living very free.

I didn’t pay much attention to personal economics or money transactions.

Whatever little cash I had in my pocket or whatever I earned was OK.

I didn’t wonder what would happen if I ran out of dough or if I would starve of if I would never get rich or anything like that. Ithopught at the time I was "living in God's pocket" as used to think of it--in a totally safe place in other words.

For a while I even had the policy of giving whatever money I had away every night so I could start every morning fresh and empty—you could say, “broke”—though I didn’t think of it that way at all. For me it was just kind of an experiment in living.

Pop asked me why I had lived that way.and I said : “Well, a long time ago you told us kids we shouldn’t be overly concerned with money.”

“Yeah,” he replied, “but I never thought you’d believe me!”

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