Interesting Person #3
You never know where you will find an Interesting Conversation.
I took the Substitute bus Geelong to Melbourne; as opposed to the normal train, due to repairs on the track.
Sitting beside me was an 81 year old man. I put down my book on Knowledge Learning (a book review is coming) and decided that this morning I would talk to him rather than pretend I was asleep. After all this was not a train. He was a retired engineer from Nestles. Born in Perth he had lived most of his life in Warnambool. He has been looking after his wife of 50 years (51 in May :)), who is in a wheel chair and is losing her control of her body. He told me that she was still smart but trapped inside a body that is slowly failing.
That day, he was on his way to Dubbo zoo. His daughter had come down from Melbourne to relieve him from his caring duties, and told her dad to have a break. Going to a zoo 1000 kms away sounded like a good break! In the space of an hour we discussed the human condition and injustices there-in, space exploration, career progress, life lessons, and family. Most of the stuff he and I shared were things we have learned from documentaries and books, all learnt after formal schooling.
He was a nice man. 81, and still learning. A good role model for me. I wished him good luck on his journey. By the time we had got off the bus, he had struck up another conversation with a passenger also headed to the airport. Happy trails old man
I took the Substitute bus Geelong to Melbourne; as opposed to the normal train, due to repairs on the track.
Sitting beside me was an 81 year old man. I put down my book on Knowledge Learning (a book review is coming) and decided that this morning I would talk to him rather than pretend I was asleep. After all this was not a train. He was a retired engineer from Nestles. Born in Perth he had lived most of his life in Warnambool. He has been looking after his wife of 50 years (51 in May :)), who is in a wheel chair and is losing her control of her body. He told me that she was still smart but trapped inside a body that is slowly failing.
That day, he was on his way to Dubbo zoo. His daughter had come down from Melbourne to relieve him from his caring duties, and told her dad to have a break. Going to a zoo 1000 kms away sounded like a good break! In the space of an hour we discussed the human condition and injustices there-in, space exploration, career progress, life lessons, and family. Most of the stuff he and I shared were things we have learned from documentaries and books, all learnt after formal schooling.
He was a nice man. 81, and still learning. A good role model for me. I wished him good luck on his journey. By the time we had got off the bus, he had struck up another conversation with a passenger also headed to the airport. Happy trails old man
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