More lessons then just guitar

I was in buying guitar strings today and the owner was trying to sell me on some lessons with an overly booked instructor (he even had a waiting list!) Since I wasn't buying any lessons, the proprietor (Karl) then suggested I at least consider buying his guitar book. Karl told me a story of how 40 something years ago he had just started selling guitars and a man came into his store, offering to teach lessons. This was good news for Karl since he only taught the accordian.

"Have you been in my store before?"
"No but I don't have any enemies in Vietnam."

Having been born in a generation that didn't witness this first hand, it took me a second to understand the implication of this short dialog. His country had asked him to join in a fight that wasn't his own and to kill people whom he had no quarrel with, so he came to Canada. Karl got a great guitar instructor and Sherman got to start a new life in a country that wouldn't throw him in jail for following his conscience. I'm glad for both of them.

P.S. I bought the guitar book.

If you can keep your head when all about you
are losing theirs and blaming it on you

~ Rudyard Kipling