We’ve all listened to, and often benefited from, the advice of well-intended friends, relatives, and colleagues. While growing up and feeling the anxiety of how to form one’s life to “get it right” it can be comforting to believe that others have figured out how “it” should be.

My Uncle Alfred is my father’s oldest sibling. He and I have always lived 1500 miles apart and, other than once as a toddler, I didn’t meet him until I was 26. Despite the distance, he greatly influenced my family.