Even the vultures have a place in life

Speaking to a long-time friend, Mike Kohler, one day about my columns, I asked him what he thought about them. He replied, "You're good, because you can always write about anything or nothing." With friends like that, who needs enemies? He did admit that he was a bit envious because he couldn't do it.
So, here is another of those anything articles.
Some years ago, I heard a speaker make a presentation on "The Vultures in our Lives." I did not know what to expect, but it made a lasting impression on me.
A vulture is a bird of prey that feeds on carrion. Many times we hear the words, "they are just like vultures." But sometimes it's the ones who love us the most who become like vultures -- pick, pick, picking at us.
The bird could be a grandparent, parent, brother, sister, relative or friend who eggs us on -- eventually to greater achievement.
Just a s a vulture that cleans up the carrion, these pickers serve a useful purpose. They prey on our subconscious mind and can become the driving force behind a successful husband or wife, if one of them is the bird.
A family tale
An I-will-show-you incident firmly embedded in my memory happened more than 60 years ago, in the summer of 1943.
I was a U.S. Navy sailor stationed at Chicago's Navy Pier. I had a short liberty and visited my Uncle Joe Cachey, who lived on Chicago's South Side. His son, Ted, then 10 years old, was playing the accordion for us. His father admonished him for making a mistake. Ted told his dad, "OK, I will play it over 10 times and get it right," which he did.
This was more than just a must lesson. Young Ted went on to become a great high school and college football player, as well as a very successful attorney and real estate developer.
His bull dog persistence, developed under the watchful eye of my uncle who egged him on, paid off.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton gave us the familiar phrase, "the pen is mightier than the sword." But the spoken word can act as the tip of a sword, prodding us on.
X Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree. A collection of his columns has been published in a book, "Rag Man, Rag Man" by Pig iron Press of Youngstown.