The Cloud of Darkness Versus Joie De Vivre
On the morning of my wedding in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on 1 December 1979, I heard a knock on my door at the Hilton Hotel in downtown.
Rising with the nervous energy one would expect on such a day, verifying it was just after six in the morning, I opened the door to find a courtly Southern gentleman (bride’s side of the family) standing there with a sweating six pack of beer. I wish I could recall the brand.
We shared a beer — meaning we each drank one. I believe he departed with the remaining four, but I cannot recall. I can only inform you that I did not drink them.
The man was wise and felt the need to arm me with his excess wisdom before I married his gorgeous niece.
Amongst the pearls he left behind was this:
“One cannot make oneself happy, but one can prevent oneself from being unhappy.”
The oddity 0f the circumstances under which it was delivered left a lasting impression more permanent than a tattoo.