My wife tells me that she never liked her grandfather. He stunk of tobacco – he used to cut up cigars and smoke them in his pipe – ignored her and her siblings, and chased after young women well into his 80s. As a descendant of English-speaking European settlers in a Latin American country, he […]
Tag: disabled child
23. The Dream of a Shepherd
The late high-wire artist Karl Wallenda famously said, “Being on the tightrope is living. Everything else is waiting.” Instead of “waiting,” he could have said “dreaming.” There is such a big difference between dreaming and doing. Dreaming about doing something has its satisfactions. But dreaming is just simulation, without real-world experience. It’s a safety net […]
19. Hidden Talent
I’m about to reveal something revolutionary, so pay attention: in my home, I am the chief cook. My wife does all right, but she calls me “an artist in the kitchen.” Growing up in Italy, I was never expected to do much around the house, let alone in the kitchen. There were two reasons for […]
14. The War of the Role Models
Recently, my wife asked me if I had any role models as I was growing up in Italy. The concept of “role model” is new to me, so I said no. She pressed on: “Are you sure there wasn’t someone in your life, or even a character from a TV show, whom you admired or […]
ANTON CIRCLES HIS WORLD 