This is me

 This is me

I’ve been to a lot of places and done a lot of things.  I’ve done just about every kind of illicit drug you can imagine. Drank myself into stupor and woke up in places totally unfamiliar to me. I ran away from home at 17, traveled with a carnival, nearly killed in a motorcycle accident, and hitch-hiked to the west coast and back twice. I’ve lived in 6 different states, worked countless jobs, and been unemployed and homeless living in the basement of a church at one time and the kitchen floor of a crack house another. I’ve met and conversed people rich enough to pay off a portion of our nation’s debt and others so poor, a couple coins put in the palm of their hand brought a gleam to their eyes. I spent 24 years driving some of the nicest looking big rig trucks and hauled loads large enough that others move out of my way. I’ve driven to virtually every major city in the continental USA, on every mile of every interstate and most US highways. I’ve been overseas to Japan and Philippines, married and divorced twice, did my time in the military and in jail, and logged nearly 400 skydives. I’ve had so many bumps and bruises and broken bones and had so many lacerations sewn up with so many stitches, that it’s a wonder I’m still alive. I made a major career change at 47 years old, went back to college, made the president’s list and wound up where I am today.

Regrets you ask? I’m certainly not proud of some of the things I’ve done in my life and the regrets I have are few.  I’ve done a lot of stupid things. Some may say I wasted a good part of my life doing stupid things. But those ‘stupid’ things made me who I am today and brought me to this place in time. God was patient with me and has forgiven me for the poor choices I made and has blessed me with a new wonderful life. Today, I have more riches than most. I pinch pennies to make ends meet, wear socks with holes in them, buy my clothes at the thrift store and wear the same pair of shoes 7 days a week. But I have 2 of the greatest boys on earth who are responsible and respectful and I am proud to call them both my sons. My aches and pains are a consequence of my past and a constant reminder I’ll never be as young as I once was. I now admit my time is limited and will need to slow down to soak in what few memories I can find. My future is much shorter now and the end is in sight. But now I feel fulfilled knowing I have a legacy to be proud of, that will follow me.

Greetings and Welcome

   Greetings everyone. My first post on my second blog. I won't talk about my first blog. It was an experiment and didn't last. This I hope will. So now, a little about myself and the reason for this blog. I am a 52 year old male from midwest USA. Happily married to the most wonderful lady in the world who I brought to America from the Philippines. We have an 8 year old boy who is the greatest boy in the world and has a sense of humor that cracks me up; even at my age. I may talk more about my family in a later blog.

   In my later years of life, I find myself remembering events of my earlier years. More and more often than ever before. It must be a "getting old" thing. Anyway, that is the thesis for my blog; Events of my life that I remember. Most are pleasant memories, though some make me thankful to God who has always watched out for me. Some memories are humorous and others a bit adventurous. I don't expect to have any lengthy posts and probably not even daily posts but I welcome you to bookmark me and stop back for frequent visits. You are also welcome to post short stories you remember of your own life and I'll even answer any questions you may have about mine. All I ask is you please keep it short, simple, and clean. I will not tolerate any vulgar language or stories with sexual connotations or any content I deem to be offensive. My theory is the more people who post short memories of their life that are memorable to them, the more readers I may gain. Who knows, this may be my road to fame and fortune.

EDIT: The year is now 2024. It's been so long since I started this blog in 2008 and things have changed so much. A year after I started this blog, my wife had our baby and about 2 years after that, we divorced. I've spent the past 12 years raising our 2 boys (for the most part) on my own. Yeah, it's been busy for me but has added countless wonderful memories in my memory databank and you can expect to read a few of these. I'm Retired now with lots of time to do some of the things I couldn't before.