My brother and I were sitting out in my porch one evening when I made mention of some giant problem I was having at the time. He said: “Best thing to do with a problem is enjoy it.”
Well, I can’t say I didn’t argue with him, but I didn’t do it for long. Reason was that as soon as I started, he pulled out a bottle of what he called cheap whiskey and two small glasses. Several things happened during the long night—that eventually turned into morning—but before I tell them more or less chronologically, let me say that “cheap whiskey” were his words, not mine, and all price considerations aside, it was the best I ever had.
First: after the first glass, the problem was not nearly as big, in fact, hardly worth mentioning.
Second: after the second glass, I was well on my way to forgetting the first glass and the problem.
Third: I realized that given time, even two small glasses can drain a bottle of whiskey.
It’s fuzzy now, and it was cold then, but somehow we managed to start a fire in the pit without setting fire to the porch, and soon we were slicing thin strips of meat from the side of a delicious roast. I don’t remember who started the fire or how, or where the meat came from, but I do remember it was delicious.
Fourth: While I’d forgotten my problem, he hadn’t, and after a few hours, he fetched it back like it was his problem. I guess by then, I was primed, and his new problem seemed not only trivial, but petty, besides. I say trivial, partly because it was his problem now, not mine, and petty, because it looked small, truly small, out of place considering the warmth of the fire, the burn of the liquor as it trickled down my throat, and generally speaking, the state of grand exultation we were living through.
Fifth: I discovered that I was a lot better at solving his “petty” problems than my own.
Sixth. I was pleasantly surprised that my discovery made with the help of cheap whiskey during a cold night of talking by the side of a fire held true afterwards.
Years later, I don’t remember the problem, but I remember the night, his advice, the cold, the fire, the roast, the cheap whiskey, and a great, wise, brother.
mt