The celebration of life for my Brother Bob was held at the beautiful Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise. The event was well attended and it gave families and friends a chance to remember Bob. His long time business partner and friend talked about his business acumen, integrity, perseverance, love of family, dry sense of humor, and a few traits that made him unique. Bob was fond of “high fiving” people. Seems simple enough but electrical engineers are not known for their social skills and Bob’s version of the greeting or celebration was awkward. A friend of mine was laughing and said it must run in the family. As I thought about it, my version is always unpredictable. This Mooney-ism could be the first documented evidence of this obviously recessive genetic tendency.
I was telling my daughter Megan about this phenomenon and she educated me. According to Wikipedia, the high five is a hand gesture that occurs when two people simultaneously raise one hand about head high, and push, slide, or slap the flat of their palm against the flat palm of the other person. The action is generally preceded verbally by a phrase like “give me five” or “High five, or “Up high” generally the meaning is a greeting, congratulations, or celebration. The phrase as a noun has been in the Oxford dictionary since 1980. There are a few variations for the cooler folks”slap me five”, “slip me five, “give me some skin” with five referring to the number of digits on each hand. The “Cloud” from Trolls says, “party on the top floor” or a “little slappy make daddy happy”.
Although Magic Johnson claims he invented it in a Michigan State game In the late 70’s, and some say it came from woman’s volleyball in the 60’s, conventional wisdom says that on closing day, October 2, 1977 Dusty Baker and Glen Burke of the Los Angeles Dodgers made history. In the sixth inning, Baked homered, his 30th of the year, making LA the first team in history to have four players hit thirty or more home runs in a season. Journalist John Mooallern reported “it was a wild, triumphant moment, and a good omen as the Dodgers headed to the playoffs. Burke, waiting on deck, thrust his hand enthusiastically over his head to greet his friend and Baker, not knowing what to do slapped it. Baker later said, “it seemed like the right thing to do”.
Bob would have laughed and cried at his celebration. I wish I had more time with him and I hope each of you reach out to those that matter in your life so you can enjoy those memories together. The pastor admonished us “no regrets”.
Enjoy each day. Mike