Legacies

I remember Tony Soprano lamenting to his therapist the various behavioral problems he's passed on to his son, AJ- namely depression and anxiety-and specifically panic attacks. "My putrid f*ing DNA is my gift to my son!"

 My own Dad, pictured above in his 'element', made a similar but refreshingly undramatic comment. "Son, most of your shittier characteristics you got from my side of the family." Unlike Soprano Sr, he wasn't prone to depression as such, but he did have anxiety out the ass. 
  That was my Dad's genetic gift to his son. Actually both his sons. I could've gotten the height, but no-o-o-o. I had to get the hypertension..
  We never had panic attacks though. Just the heebie-jeebies from time to time. And it is pretty controllable, if you set your mind to it. You never wipe it out entirely, but you can greatly reduce it. 
  And it could've been a lot worse. I'm thinking first of one of my favorite jazz pianists, Michel Petrucciani. Afflicted by a condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, which causes brittle bones and greatly reduced stature, stood only 3 feet tall. Herve Villachaize, the midget from Fantasy Island, at 3'11", would be a big dude next to him. He was in constant pain from his bones, and much of the time had to be carried.  
  Despite these setbacks, he was a brilliant player, and renowned as he should've been  in the jazz world . And according to what I read, he was also a bit of a ladies' man. He married and had a son, who, unfortunately, inherited his father's condition. 
  And then I think of my favorite roadhouse blues guitarist Jeff Healey. Blind since he was a year old from a form of Eye Cancer. Despite this obstacle, went on to be a fantastic guitarist. Made records and got some renown for his performances. Married, and had a son, who inherited his father's eye condition. 
   As far as my Dad's gifts to me, I think I came out pretty good here. I could've done with more height and less hypertension, but shoes and meds seem to help a little bit. One of the many times in life when you might as well be thankful for what you got.
   

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