Memoir / Humor / Essays
Date Published: November 16, 2022
Bobby Evers never takes himself—or the world—too seriously. Death and Ham: Life is a Real Trip offers twenty-three new essays that weave together the funny and tender aspects of life, death, and the world around him. The flair for storytelling that Evers premiered in his first book (Shoes and Cheese: The Boonetown Chronicles) is alive and well in this follow-up that travels beyond Boonetown, a journey full of interesting people and heart-felt discoveries. He even lets the reader glimpse his own apprehensions about turning sixty—while also revealing that he’s not too worried about not being the most tech-savvy one at the office. Meet some of his favorite people, and some of the most outlandish people he’s ever met. Death and Ham is a fun, wacky, sometimes-nostalgic journey that may leave you a little wistful for the past, and will surely lend you some laughs for your days ahead.
Introduction
At a certain age, you take off the rose-colored glasses. You
see things for what they really are. I think that’s why I prefer watching Dateline
and Forty-Eight Hours over CSI. I want the real stories, not
fictionalized ones.
I also prefer reading biographies over novels. And I always
choose live theater rather than seeing a movie or video because it’s happening
right there, in front of you, without edits and camera angles and
Photoshop. Theater is not TikTok, and that’s fine by me.
But most of all, I like people who are the real deal. No
fake personas or wishy-washy types for me. I like to know where I stand and who
I can trust. I want to know who I can call when I need to hide the body or when
I find one in my air vent.
I like that I’ve been around long enough to know a few
things about myself too. I know that I’m only
going to be happy if I’m doing something creative and juggling
a few projects. I also know that some people will get my humor while some will
glaze-over at hearing one of my stories—and I’m good with that.
My tolerance for nonsense is much lower these days, and I
really like that as well. Life is just too short to deal with a bunch of crap.
I hate serving on committees and going to meetings too, because they generally
involve the aforementioned bunch of crap.
For me—at sixty—the ironies really start to add up. As my
list of doctor appointments grows longer, my memory only gets shorter. I have
more time to go on trips, but less energy to expend on those trips. And there
is new technology to help me do just about anything but, sadly, I can’t figure
out how to use most of it.
And it’s also sad that it takes most of our lives for many
of us to get comfortable in our own skin.
Maybe that’s why we sag and wrinkle as we age. All that
squirming around inside—trying to figure out exactly who we are—does tend to
stretch out the skin a bit and leave some marks.
That’s ok, though. I’ll take some wrinkles in exchange for
all the wisdom gained, and I’ll try to smile when I look at my older self in
the mirror. Because really the only good way I’ve found to combat aging—other than
death, and that kind of defeats the whole purpose—is to laugh at it. What other
choice do we have?
In my stories you’ll find some of the people and places that
have inspired me and kept me smiling.
I hope they leave you with a smile too.
About the Author
Bobby Evers is a life-long Tennessean, a theater enthusiast, and avid traveler. Being a keen people-watcher, he has always been a storyteller, and now he brings those stories to the page in his first book. He has worked in the construction business, and as an interior designer and architectural consultant for over thirty-five years.
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