My Sidekick

Just finished watching a couple of television episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show”. Old school simple but wise humor, indeed.

 Andy is such a serious minded small town (Mayberry) sheriff. His goofy sidekick is deputy Barney Fife.

 Seriousness balanced with simplicity and humor makes the relationship work. Same was true with sheriff Matt Dillon and Chester, Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon, Seinfeld and George, and the list goes on.

 That emotional balance takes the edge off the underlying conflicts encountered by the relationship.

 What about Duchenne? My grandson Hayes has it … so terrible. If I allow myself, Duchenne can drive me to a deep and emotional abyss, a dark place I do not wish to occupy.

 So, I need a sidekick for balance, but who?  Grandson Hayes, without a doubt. He is smart, inquisitive, social, adorable … and, truly a very funny little guy.

 As an example, I recently was at his house on a Sunday when his father came home from a road trip gig. Hayes jumped into his father’s arms and exclaimed, “Papa, meet my Dad!” Of course, we all have been together for years.

 A comedian popular in the ‘80’s once said, “Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers, and, once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.”

 Grandson Hayes, you make Papa laugh, often. We have had a lot of laughs, together, and my hope is that we have thousands of more laughs together for years to come.

 Together, let’s continue to include laughter as one of the arrows in our quiver with which we fight to end Duchenne.

 Kindly,

Papa in Tennessee