Some Guys

Previously, I mentioned that Lisa and I are on a quest to see performers making their last rounds. Generally, these are rock and/or pop performers who hit the charts during our high school and college years.

One such performer is Rod Stewart. We saw him perform in Atlanta last summer. Rod closed the show with one of my favorite songs, "Some Guys Have All the Luck."

Over the years, I have thought a lot about that song. In particular, there is one passage that reminds me of some of the friends of my youth. Some guys have all the luck. Some guys have all the pain. Some guys get all the breaks. Some guys do nothing but complain.

Among the guys I spent time with during those years–-some of whom I am still friends with–--there was a guy from each bucket in Rod's song.

Some Guys Have All the Luck
One of the good friends from my youth epitomized this line.

Despite our closeness, there was always a competitive element to our friendship and I always felt this guy was a half-step ahead of me at every turn. Slightly better grades. Slightly better with the girls. Slightly better athlete. 

Legend had it that he once made his case to a teacher for a better grade and, at the 11th hour, she releneted. If he could find a four leaf clover, she'd give him the bump. Naturally, he found a patch of four leaf clovers.

Some Guys Have All the Pain
Another of my high school/college friends is sadder story.

He had met the girl of his dreams. It looked like they were on a one-way path to the altar. Then. something happened. They broke up. Couldn't resolve the issue. They didn't get back together.

She married someone else. He did, too. But it didn't take. 

Every time I saw him over the years, there was a air of pain about him. I imagined he always thought about what could have been.

Eventually, he left town - still unmarried. I hope things turned out for him. And, I too, wonder what would have happened if the two of them had been able to work it out.

Some Guys Get All the Breaks
One of my closest high school friends always seemed to get the breaks. I thought, in some ways, it was because he was slightly older than the rest of us. 

He was the first of us to get a part-time job. While most of us couldn't sign up for Driver's Ed (if your birthday fell later in the school year, there was generally not a slot for you), he got right in.

Like my first friend example, he was also popular with the ladies. And he has been very successful in life and his career. 

In retrospect, I don't think he got all the breaks. Rather, I think he developed a keen knack for making his own breaks through grit and determination. And a little moxie.

In any case, we are still in touch and I'm always happy to hear the latest news from him. I've been proud of his success.

Some Guys Do Nothing But Complain
One of the smartest guys I knew has turned into a grumpy old man. Eventually, I disconnected from social media connections because every post I saw was a rant of some sort. 

"Old man shakes fist at sky...''

For a while, I was sure his politics leaned one way. Then, it seemed he leaned in the polar opposite direction. I finally concluded he doesn't like any of 'em!

When we were growing up, he was always fairly witty and drole. But at some point, the mirth dissipated. Grumbling ensued. 

And truly. I concluded of his posts: He does nothing but complain.

Sad.

There probably was a time all five of us - me and the four guys labeled in the song - were together. Maybe it was for a pick-up basketball game. As captains chose the teams, you could imagine:

First pick. "I'll take the guy who has all the luck."

Second pick. "OK. I'll choose the guy who gets all the breaks."

The guy with all the pain probably took an elbow to the nose. And, as for the guy who does nothing but complain, it was probably the ref's fault. 

JG