How Privileged Can You Get?

I am one of the most privileged people in the world. When my parents gametes joined I hit the gene lottery jackpot; I got stature, appearance, intelligence and remarkable good health.

My privilege didn't end there. I had two parents that were excellent providers. My father worked as many jobs as needed to make sure that we never wanted for anything. My mother was superwoman.

She worked, she cooked, she cleaned; she still found time to teach me to read and do math before I entered school. She exposed me to the many different foods of life and we took trips to historical sites, sometimes entirely for my benefit, as she had little interest in the civil war or the revolution but we visited those sites because I was.

My privilege was still not complete. I was the first born of two first born children. There had been no births on either side of the family for 8 years. I received huge amounts of attention from both sides of my family because I was the only one until my sister was born 21 months later.

Even then my privilege was extended, because I still received the lions share of attention until I was about 5 and Brooke was old enough to interact with them. Even then my privilege was not complete.

I had two uncles that lived with us at varying times when I was a young boy. They were both very brilliant men, like my father. I was continually exposed to bright men with good senses of humor during my childhood. Due to their presence in my formative years I received even more attention than any normal child would get.

My mother and her father gave me a spine and the courage to stand up for what I believe. She taught me right from wrong and would use little episodes in my life to guide me with a gentle nudge.

I played hooky in first grade. I decided I would rather fish than go to school (Huck Finn all over again) I got lost and ended up in the hands of the local police eventually, thanks to a kindly cab driver. When I didn't get off the school bus that day my mom panicked and called the police.

By this time the police had taken me to a malt shop and were giving me candy and milkshakes trying to get me to tell them who I was. I wouldn't tell them because I knew I was going to be in trouble. I was too young to know that trouble was going to catch up to me.

The police took the call from my mom at this point, and she reported me missing. The cop said, "is he about 4 tall with brown hair?"

Shortly after we were at home. I know my mom was furious and embarrassed, but she calmed herself and talked to me with reason, which even at that young age I could follow.

She said, "Why did you skip school," and I replied something to the extent that it was boring and that I could already read and write and do math and that I didn't need to know anything else.

She asked me, "What do you think you would like to do with your life," and I said, "I want to be a chef." She said, "O.K." and she gave me a cookbook. She said, "I want you to make this."

I read the instructions and part of it I didn't understand. I told her I couldn't, and she said, "Maybe you ought to go back to school till you complete third grade before you drop out."

I went back to school and never skipped another day until Senior Day.

She dispensed her wisdom, some of which I chose to ignore, and in most cases shouldn't have. Like most young people there were some things I just had to learn the hard way.

We vacationed and travelled in the US and Canada. I lived all over the country in places like Evergreen, Alabama, Clearwater, Florida, Rochester, NY and Salt Lake City, Utah. I met all kinds of people from all walks of life. I had more cultural experience by the time I was 18 than most people get to have in a lifetime.

In the face of my blunders I still received love and support with the guidance. I have never wanted for anything and any failures real or perceived are entirely of my own creation. I was given every tool to succeed in life. THAT is what privilege is.