Okay - this past Sunday yours truly turned 40. That's four decades gone by since that pivotal year that shaped a generation!
As part of some means to ease through my little 'mid-life' crisis,
I thought I ought to take some time to reflect back over the many years that are/have so quickly faded into a colorless blur of memories. It is easy to get wrapped up in a self-centered pity-party focusing on all the things 'you should have had, or done' reminiscing on short comings and failures. Besides, I have lived almost half of a full life and in outside comparison of other's accomplishments I would easily rank low on many things. I'm going to avoid that pit-fall (remember that action packed Atari game) and highlight some of my more significant life events that make me who I am.I have...
- been in attendance while baseball greats (and my favorites) Dave Winfield, Rollie
Fingers, Pete Rose, George Brett, Reggie Jackson, Johnny Bench, Reggie Smith, and Steve Garvey played ball. - been swimming in the Pacific (South: Zihuatanejo to North: Homer, Alaska), Atlantic (South: Miami to North: Deleware) and Caribbean (West: Cancun to East: Puerto Plata, DR) Oceans.
- been on numerous cross country road trips including Oak Harbor, WA to Burke, VA and Salt Lake City, UT to Homer, AK and SLC to Pensacola, FL
- seen the Northern Lights
- seen the Space Shuttle - in orbit, fly attached to a 747, and take off from Cape Canaveral, and watched it explode on live TV.
- lived in eleven different states including Washington DC.
- lived in a tent city
- seen Nauvoo, the Sacred Grove, Hill Camorah, Carthage Jail, and hiked the Mormon Battalion Trail in California.
- riden a 800cc Honda Shadow in Alaska and a 300cc Honda on the Washington beltway.
- fluent in Spanish
- apart from my current profession, worked as a fish processor, warehouseman, landscaper, nightclub doorman, record store clerk, bilingual collections rep, ski lift operator, call center manager, and panhandler.
- wrestled in high school, wore a skirt as a fashion statement to high school, and graduated 736 in my class of close to 800.
- seen Teotihuacan, took a boat around Xochimilco, and seen many other pre-columbian sites.
- taken a 100 mile bike ride from Burke, VA to Rehobeth Beach, Delaware.
- canoed the Shenandoah river.
- scuba dived at high altitude in a lake with full wetsuit.
- seen countless new wave, punk, and alternative rock concert and shows in the '80's which include big name bands: starting with Depeche Mode (1984), the Cure, the Smiths, Echo and the Bunneymen, OMD, Sinead O'conner, Joe Jackson, PIL, Gene Love Jezebel, Ministry, the Damned, Howard Jones, the Church, Ballam and the Angel, Hudoo Guroos, the Cramps, and local talent such as 9353, Madhouse, Bad Brains, Slickee boys, minor threat...actually too many to remember.
- been told that I looked like Andy Worhol by someone who knew him.
- deep sea fished in Mexico.
- slept in a train station, over pass, tent, on top of ferry-boat, airplane, bunk bed, hammock, with bedbugs, car, in the rain, in sub-zero temp, on the roof, and on the beach.
- had Dengue's fever.
- broke a finger and separated shoulder.
- bench pressed 220 lbs.
- lost 40 lbs from 200 to 160.
- passed my CBA and CBF credit designation exams.
- paid less than a $1.00 and more than $4.20 per gallon of gas!
However, my more meaningful events that top all of the aforementioned include:
- serving a two year mission in the Dominican Republic
- marrying the most wonderful and beautiful person in the world
- having 3 great kids
- 11 year old scout master
- running across an old friend, keeping in touch, and participating in his baptism
- seeing my parents off to serve a mission in Sweden
- being without work for a month and receiving a call for an unsolicited job interview and landing the job
- receiving a thoughtful letter from dad while I was in Alaska
- cruise vacation with siblings and parents
Well, I have to say this by no means is a complete list (and I will probably add to it as I clear out more cob-webs) but it touches on a few... I'm going to give some more thought as to what I want to accomplish in the next few years and post about that later... Thanks for your indulgence.
