Bacon. In a different way.

I liked “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.” It was a TV show which aired from 1969 to 1972. I am not sure why I was so attracted to this show, other than the fact that the lifestyle was completely foreign to me. It peaked my curiosity.  Somehow, it left a mark.

There was a man, and his young son, living in a high rise apartment building, in (probably) New York City. The life of that little boy, was everything mine was not. He didn’t have a zillion brothers and sisters running around, vying for time in the toilet. He only had one parent, a Dad, who was young and hip and spent a lot of one-on-one time with his only kid. They lived in some modern, posh apartment, in a really big city. With an elevator. And then there was a Japanese woman, the housekeeper, named Miss Livingston. She was very discreet, and always referred to the father, as “Mr. Eddie’s Father.” She was a Zen Master, I think.

It starred Bill Bixby. It is his birthday today, this January 22. That is why I mention all of this. He was born in 1934, but I didn’t realize he had died. Way back in 1993, of prostate cancer. The Courtship of Eddie’s Father wasn’t his most significant role by society’s measures. He gained more notoriety from things like The Incredible Hulk, and the hundred other shows he was in. But, I am thankful for that show. It widened my young horizons.

There are other famous birthdays today. Some days are like that, filled with interesting subjects.

Like. Francis Bacon 1561 – 1626. First, there is his name. Like, if you could dream up a name, Francis Bacon is pretty good. The thing is, he served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. So really, people might have called him Lord Bacon. Kind of like King of Cheese, or Queen of Quinoa. At any rate, Bacon Boy was know for much more than his hame. He did BIG things for science. He was a stalwart advocate and practitioner of the scientific method. All of this, during the scientific revolution. He has been called the creator of empiricism — and empiricism means that all knowledge is discovered from sense-experiences. Basically, he figured out experimental science. Which, thankfully, and eventually, led to my great lab experiences, with Bunsen burners, and fizzy concoctions. Science Fair Volcanoes, and the like. Thanks Lord of Bacon.  That left a mark on me too.

Today, this date, also brought William Kidd into the world. Arrrrr Matey. A very famous Scotish pirate who buried treasure off the coast of Madagascar. 1645 – 1701

And Lord Byron 1788 – 1824. The very influential English Poet.

All born on the same day, years apart. None of them knew one another. And each, made a whopping big mark in this world, in their distinct manner.

Today — do your way — your way.  Yep. And, believe you me.  That’s gonna’ leave a mark.

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“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
― Douglas Adams,

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“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
― George Bernard Shaw

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“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
― Confucius

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