Merv

"Did I tell you the one about the guy who only ever ordered matzah-ball soup?" I overheard this joke at the pool this morning. A lovely accomodation in our apartment complex, that come to find out, is seldom used -- even if it is a Tuesday. Myself, one lifeguard, a mom with her 4 or 5 year old, and two elderly folk -- one, an accomplished swimmer; the other, an accomplished schmoozer. I selected my chair, aligned it with the mid-morning sun and its path, and got down and sweaty for the first twenty minutes. I hadn't been to the pool since....mid July? Is that right? (I told you it was seldom used.) Our weather has been steadily 90+ degrees, but I suppose I didn't find the pool all that attractive even with the stickiness, and I hate to propose that I would have any actual fashion-forward thinking, but this year a bikini was a must regarding my wedding dress silhouette. I was not too eager to be melting all summer while not being able to assure my suit wouldn't melt off too, since straps have been untied! I digress....


One flip of the body over, and I was listening to one man's entrance into the pool deck as clearly as he had wanted to make it. "Afternoon, all!" The mom and her little girl replying, "Hi, Merv. How are you?" "Just fine, thank you!," he exclaimed. Sounded like from afar he got himself settled, and let out a big sigh of relief and relaxation. The older woman swimming laps in the pool continued to stride, and yet she ended up pausing by Merv's end of the pool to say hello. I'm sure they had been in talks before, and he opened their conversation with that line above. "No, Merv. I haven't heard that one yet," she says smiling.


"So this man, a real old-timer, has been going to this hoity-toity New York City restaurant nearly every day of his life for lunch, to order his favorite matzah-ball soup. He walks in one day, having ordered the very same soup dozens, probably hundreds of times. The waiter brings his soup over, puts the plate down, and recites: 'Enjoy your lunch today, Mr. Max.'


"'Why, waiter! I cannot enjoy this soup today!'
'Whatever do you mean, Mr. Max?'
'Waiter, I simply cannot eat this matzah-ball soup today.'
'Mr. Max, I assure you it is matzah-ball soup. I even tasted a little of it this morning myself!'
'Waiter, I can't eat this soup,' says the man.
'Mr. Max, Sir, we've had the same chef creating this recipe of matzah-ball soup ever since the first day that you ordered it. Please! Why can't you eat this soup today?'
'Simply, waiter -- there's no spoon!'"


"That's great, Merv -- I hadn't heard it!" said the swimmer. Merv just smiled, and began to wade himself into the cool water. "How many laps have you done today, Linda?" "I just finished my mile, I think I'll take a break. But I won't forget that joke Merv. It's the way you tell 'em that keep 'em funny."


I myself had been listening in, and was trying hard not to snicker too loudly so that Merv would know he had more of an audience -- though he probably wouldn't have minded. I peeked at the woman stepping out of the water, impressed to hear she had already lapped a mile in our little Meadowbrook pool, and looked as cool as a cucumber. Merv asks the lifeguard, "How many laps in this pool to swim a mile?" "Sixty, I think." "Linda, you swam sixty laps and it's barely lunchtime?!" She smiled and started to skim a magazine she had brought with her. Merv, as you may have assumed, kept on conversing with our young lifeguard, no doubt working this job as a summer interim from school (though secondary or collegiate, I'm not sure). Then to my surprise, Merv heard my thoughts and found out for me:


"So, heading back to school in the fall there?"
"Yes, sir. Philadelphia University."
"What year are you, son?"
"Sort of a junior-senior mix, I have to figure out all my credits and courses and stuff."
"What's your major going to be?"
"I want to do Phys Ed, or maybe teach middle school."
"That's fabulous, son. Good luck."
"Thanks, Merv."
"Just remember one thing as you finish up your schooling, all right?"
"What's that?" the lifeguard asked.
"Do what you love, and love what you do. Because school will help you get the job, but make sure it's a job you really enjoy so that you can retire early like me!"
"Oh yeah? When did you retire, Merv?"
"I'm going on my 20th year of no work, and I'm just 78!"
"You did retire, early, Merv. Did you get a good serverance package or something? What was your trick?"
"No, son. Truly when you find out what you're good at, and then you find out it's also what you love to do, you'll make the most out of whatever it is. I was able to work hard, pay off my house and raise my family because I had a job I loved, and loved doing it. There is no secret! Just wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you, Merv, I'll take it."


As you might have guessed, this made me smile. It made me snicker more, too, because I just cherish these hidden moments in daily life, even more so when overhearing the dialogue among men separated by a stretch of generations. And, it's probably no surprise that I felt this conversation was intended for everyone there at the pool. I hadn't been down to sun bathe in over a month, and there was this gem of a man exploiting only lighthearted nature, and simple wisdoms that remain true over time. I found it to be quite meaningful for my life, and was happy to have encountered Merv today. Hopefully we can all end up like him. Healthy, happy, hardworking, and always ready to find a little good in the people around us to make connections strengthened by shared experiences and good humor.