I found this recently and it is my personal eulogy to Don Maywald. Don is Scott Maywalds father. I had this conversation with Don one morning about his boss seeing some crazy guy skating down Ranger Hill in Texas. Don asked me what it was like and I told him. I forgot I video taped that moment and I recently found it. You can hear me talking to Melvin. Don, whatever you are piddling with that hammer of yours - put it down - this is for you. A Simple Life My Personal Eulogy to Don ‘Popps Maywald Video Included My father was 18 years old when he came to the United States from a little town called Donegal, Ireland. When he arrived in the US, he landed into the Boston Gardens. My dad waited three days in the park by a bench waiting for his brother to arrive and pick him up. My father had nothing more than a small suitcase and twenty dollars when he arrived. My mother was also 18 years when she came to this country from Northern Ireland. Now, I have no idea how much money she had when she arrived, but I do know this: she came here with an attitude problem and a giant stick. Till this day, nothing strikes more fear into me than a wee woman from the north who on her tallest days is five foot nothin’. However, one of the most important lessons ever learned from these two is about life….and death. We don’t grieve death – we celebrate life. We celebrate that we had the privilege of knowing this person before they crossed the finish line of life. We talk about the lessons learned from them, the funny things they did and yes….the dumb things as well. When I finished skating all over the planet, my residence became Fort Worth, TX at the Maywald residence where I met Don Maywald. Don is the simplest man you would ever meet and is the nicest guy ever. No anger about him. No drama. I heard all sorts of things about him before I met him. There was this little guy I never got to meet and he goes by the name of Jake. Jake was only ten when he crossed the finish line of his life and little man Jake was Don’s grandson. These two characters were inseparable. Don adored this little guy. You know one of the reasons why Don adored his grandson Jake? Because he was different. With that in mind, I thought to myself, “Self, if Don likes different, he is going to love me.” I was right. When I finally got to meet Don and we sat down and talked about skating back and forth across the country, he was so intrigued by this. Most times people look at me like I am out of my mind which for the most part is accurate. Don asked 100 questions and more than anything was impressed and happy because what I did was so different and it helped other people that were close to him that were wonderfully different – like little man Jake. I wondered though about Don’s sincerity of my little accomplishment and that was resolved one evening when he came home from work. We were sitting outside and he told me his boss said to him, “I saw this crazy guy skating down Ranger Hill on the interstate with a backpack. He was flying. That guy must be out of his mind.” Don with a smile on his face and as much pride as one person can muster up says, “Yeah, that crazy guy is staying at my house.” Don told him what I was up to and defended me. Don did not have to do that. He barely knew me, but he was so proud of what I did. Then there is Molly – his granddaughter who is ten…Don’s truest partner in crime. I always knew when it was 2:45pm at the Maywald house without looking at the clock. Don would say, “I reckon I have to go get Molly.” What a second…..could this be true? People in the South actually use the word ‘reckon?’ I just thought bad actors from NY said that in bad western movies. I just giggled when I heard Don say that and off he goes. Then I always knew when it was 3:15pm because the partners in crime were back with chocolate shakes from Wendy’s. It didn’t matter what Don was doing or how important it was – his whole day was based on getting Molly from school. One day I watched Don wander through the house. He was just walking around for about fifteen minutes and I could tell he was bored out of his mind. Finally, I asked, “What are you doing?” Don simply replied, “I’m piddling.” I had no idea what the hell ‘piddling’ meant and I did not let him know that. Being from NY, piddling means something completely different than what it means down here. Piddling in NY in the very least is a misdemeanor. Think of something George Michael would do in a public bathroom late at night. To me, that is piddling. However, piddling – at least how it is applied in the Maywald residence means this: I am bored, I will walk around in the inside and outside of my house until I can find something to fix or make better. Watching Don walk around the house or fix anything had an entertainment value to it. First and foremost, Don can fix anything. I think NASA called him a few times to fix their little space ships. But the fun part was the speed he moved at. He only had one speed; slow. Don could be accused of a few things, but being fast is not one of them. He marched to his own drummer and he took his time with everything he did. Don even drove slowly. To sum up Don in this paragraph – Don was not a fast man. However, there is something to be learned from that. I think part of the reason why he did everything slow is because he enjoyed what he was doing. Or just maybe if you were watching him, you could actually learn something. And yes, I learned his catch phrase one day while he was working and he didn’t do it right the first time. He wasn’t angry, no cursing, no swearing from this man - just a simple, “Oh well.” Then he went back to work. In the driveway of the Maywald residence is a white pickup truck which belonged to Don. This wasn’t just his work truck, it was his life truck. He would haul me or kids or ladders or wood in the back of his life truck. Don could have owned just about any vehicle, but he drove an old white Ford F150. It worked and it got the job done. I asked Don one day if it is mandatory that everyone that lives in Texas owns a white pickup truck at least once in their lives. Don just looked at me and said, “I reckon.” He just laughed and he put his truck into ‘Slow’ and we left. Then there is Don’s little house. He could have lived in a bigger house, but he chose a simple little house in Fort Worth. It is another lesson that anyone can have a house regardless the size or neighborhood, but Don made it a home. So, if having a home wasn’t enough in Fort Worth, Don built a house further South in Texas with his bare hands. I watched how Don built everything and he could build anything even with scrap wood. Look at Gator’s – not once piece of lumber came from a building supply store. It was wood he found here and there. Another person’s garbage is another man’s bar applies here. It is easy enough to compare Don to MacGyver. Except in the end they are completely polar opposite. MacGyver blows everything up and Don would show up by himself to fix and restore it. Now I think about Don and what his legacy should be. It is in this moment that I realize one thing – it needs to be kept simple – like Don. It isn’t the amount of friends you have – it is about the family you raise that are your best friends. It isn’t about living in a huge house; it is about living in a home. It isn’t about a big fancy car because that is not what defines you. It is not about judging people; it is about embracing everyone. It isn’t about your expensive clothes; it is about willing to take the shirt off your back if someone else is in need. Don’s legacy for everyone is about keeping it simple - something that all of us including me fail to do. I think about my friend Scott today – Don’s son and what he left when he crossed the finish line of life. There wasnt a million dollar policy. No Corvette. No mansion on the hill. Don left something so much more important; Don left life lessons for all to understand. In the end Don never wanted Scott (or anyone else) to be like him. Don never looked at Scott and thought “This kid better live up to my expectations.” Don only wanted one little thing from you Scott with all these lessons in place during your 40 years with him: Your Dad wants you to live up to YOUR own expectations. In the end, it is always about time and now that your Dad is off building a skyscraper somewhere else right now, your time is now. Your time has come. It is about keeping it simple and moving forward. What a blessing in all of this that the old man is looking after Molly’s older brother – your son – and Don’s favoritest grandson who was so cool because he was so different. All these wonderful lessons that Don put in place are now at your feet. A lesson not just for Scott - but for all of us. Anyway, I reckon I am done now so I have to move very slowly outside to get some piddling done. White pickup truck next.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 19:17:08 +0000
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