You Got Problems?

More than once I've said: "Any problem you can buy your way out of is not a problem." Feeling like a physical wreck, 'just got the news that a long time friend and partner in the piano business, is in intensive care, and likely to die. Listening to the report from his girlfriend, I could not contain my shock. I had driven over to his place out of concern that he had not heeded my stern recommendation to get to a doctor two days ago. "You've been too sick for too long dude" were my words. CB and I are a great deal alike, and not just that we hate dealing with the medical establishment. We both have a strong work ethic (his is stronger than mine), we're about the same age. We've been in the piano business about the same amount of time, had a fair amount of success with it... CB is more generous than I, more compassionate probably more loyal. Not to make him into a saint or anything, his weakness is that he didn't take care of himself as well as he took care of others. The first time we met was at a Galleria area hotel more than 20 years ago. The hotel was his customer, but an outside client had called me in to tune for an event. CB was tuning in another part of the banquet area, and when seeing me, stopped and came over to introduce himself. It was just a nice gesture. I guarantee than 9 out of 10 piano tuners would have been in "protect territory mode" but CB wasn't at all. The man has bailed me out of a tight spot more than once. When an internal snafu resulted in a piano not being delivered to a show just outside Austin late a couple of Decembers ago, I called CB from my retreat location, we had a piano that had to go NOW. He was on it, and saved the day. For all his trouble, my truck had died on a country road on the way back that night. By some miracle, it started again and he got back.Oh I've been able to step in for him a time or two, but in the relationship it was usually CB catching my back. Only thing to do now is pray for a miracle. "If it is Your Will, give him another chance..."