IT WAS JUST A PAIR OF SUNGLASSES

For the last twenty years I have heard that statement over and over again. When I was a much less experienced and much younger insurance man, I went to an insurance convention. Now the convention was not all work and no play! One afternoon I played in a golf outing. I was paired up in a cart with a fellow that I had never met. His name was John Love. I had been told that he was a pretty good golfer and I welcomed the challenge. After playing several holes, I was really getting tired. It really wears a person out when he has to carry dead weight around i.e. John Love. After putting out on one hole I walked back to the golf cart. John was already seated when I slid onto my seat. Something was missing! I could not find my sunglasses. It was bright sunny day and I needed protection for my sensitive blue eyes. Us low handicappers play with sunglasses until we get to the green, then we take them off to line up our putts and hole out. Now my day was ruined. The bright sun made my eyes water and I could not concentrate on my game. Well, John stood up to help me find the missing item. He looked at me and asked if I was crying. I told him NO and explained about my blue eyes. He laughed! I then looked down in his seat and saw an awful sight. There, mashed flat by John's big butt, were the remains of my eye protections. John continued to laugh and through the laughter he uttered his poignant statement "IT WAS JUST A PAIR OF SUNGLASSES."
Well my spot on game fell apart and if my memory serves me correctly, John may have beat me by a stroke or two. He rehashed the story at the club house and added insult to injury by saying he had smashed a cheap pair of RiteAid glasses. He has never acknowledged that he sat on my Ray-Bans.
Two decades have passed and I still hear him tell the story to anyone that will listen. I guess John figured that he would really get the final laugh when my son, Brian, graduated from high school. Would you like to guess what John gave Brian as a graduation gift?
Yep, a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses!!
By Sandy Jackson President, Agents Insurance Market Richmond Va.