When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)?
I grew up with grandparents on both sides who were farmers, and as children we would help during harvest time. I imagine most of the time we were more in the way, than really a help. I did reach a stage when I was finally big enough to help around the age of eight, and my grandfather paid me ten dollars for my work. I was excited and felt grown up getting my first check.
My father and mother took me to a show store to buy my own shoes and I found a beautiful pair of gray suede Hush Puppies that marked $9.99, and it felt like it was meant to be.
I took them up to the cashier with my father by my side and they rang up the price, and suddenly the price was higher because of taxes, which I had little knowledge of.
Stunned, I immediately said I didn’t want them anymore because I didn’t have enough money. My father said it was okay, and he paid the taxes for me.
If only, I could, I would make every instrument that I touch put out a beautiful tune, and my voice pleasant enough to cause the people around me to pause to take in my music and be moved to feel things that the music stimulated to surface fond memories.
I would watch as not only my body would move in time with my tune, and melody, as my voice sings lyrics that lift them up, as their eyes look backwards and open up their hearts, and feel life again, and setting all their troubles aside to if even only for moments.
How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?
I have threatened to say, what the hell, many times but in our society today the electronic connection is no different than parking on main street, or hanging out at the local greasy spoon diner. People intend to connect in whatever manner they can and the greatest priority is to do it visually. We are drawn to things visually.
I began doing this with weekend movies and walking up and down aisles and necking with a girl in a semi dark corner, or the center of the theater so everyone knew we were or possibly a couple. We did this until we had cars, then it was on the main street so people could see us, or us seeing them. We connect to learn, and to be entertained differently than our parents did. Every generation finds it’s way and as technology increases, and I am not saying anything pro or con. Youth finds a way to express, explore, and learn.
I want to be remembered for being a kind, generous, loving man.
My life has not been easy as is true for most people. We all face challenges as and that is what either makes us or breaks us.
I want my children to remember me for being a patient, good father, and those that have loved me will always love me, and share this love with others.
For my grandchildren I pray that they will be strong and remember me often, and see me in others and be reminded often.
What snack would you eat right now?
Snacks! I love snacks because they are fast and easy. Right this monument I would grab a banana, mandarin orange, and a handful of mixed nuts, and think I was doing pretty good, because all are heart healthy and easy to prepare, although peeling the orange is harder, not really hard, but harder than the banana.
Come up with a crazy business idea.
I have given this a great deal thought, and as I have aged I came to realize that it is not your mind, hair or hearing as you age which has been reported in the media. The first thing you lose, as a male, is your rear end. There is a point where you become a part of the saggy bottom boys group, and you begin to not only need a belt to hold your pants, but a suspenders to hold up the rear of your pants. Being older I have found it is not just your pants but included your under underwear. I am forever having to pull my underwear up although I am wearing a belt and suspenders. Anyway, I am seriously designing special underwear suspenders for my underwear so they will quit falling down while wandering around the house in my briefs, so I am not flashing plumbers cleavage to people hanging around my house.
What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?
I come from family, on both sides, who live long lives. I am in favor of this and thank them for their hardiness, which gives me hope. I do want to live a long life.
My mother was 97 when she passed on. It wasn’t easy because with the loss of anyone you love it is never easy.
My father’s only brother lived into his nineties and I believe my father would have too, but a train versus van caused his and a five year old brother’s premature deaths.
There are no guarantees we have these long lives because it runs in the family, because another brother three years older than me passed on from colon cancer, but was also struggling with lung problems caused from smoking, and other things in his environment.
I am 67, sixth born of eight children, and recently had a massive heart attack although all my blood pressure checks, etc., showed my doctor and I that I was in pretty good shape, although a little over weight.
The doctors all declared after the event which nearly claimed my life, all but for the attention my daughter paid to my sudden symptoms the day after this past Thanksgiving. I had an abnormal heart attack, and the thing that caused my heart attack was abnormal, and it was really challenging to find and correct.
Truly, my right arm was black and blue from wrist to shoulder from their first attempts to do an angioplasty on me, and finally had to go in from the groin. Thankfully, I was not alert because they said I resisted them on just my arm because the pain was too intense.
Silly thing being allergic to hydrocodone does create some unique challenges for surgeons, so other decisions had to be made to save my life.
They found the problem on the back of my heart and it has been there for a while. I had an abnormal artery with an odd shape which created a slump or place for blood to pool. My heart was pristine, as they said many times, and there was no plaque, but something caused this little pool to break loose and block my heart. Well enough of that. They brought in a scoop shovel on the third attempt and removed that little obstruction. I lived.
Three days later I was released to travel back home in ten days, so stayed at my daughter’s until I could safely drive for eight hours home.
I was not then nor now ready to toss it all aside and give in on the game of life. There is far too much I have not seen, or learned. Far too many projects, goals, or even books read.
I am absolutely in favor of long lives, so I can watch my children, grandchildren, and my future great grandchildren grow.
I love the laughter, beauty, and good things and thank God for the hard lessons I have learned to make even to my current age. It is from these things I write, photograph or paint. And, pray I have at least the long life my mother and others in my family have had.
If you have a cup or glass nearby and it doesn’t matter the contents, take a sip and celebrate with me one more day of life.
Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?
Why of course I do. I write to tell stories which propels me both backward and forward through time so I can capture ideas, thoughts, images, and sound playing my mind. I also write in the moment which quickly fades to the past, because we only live in the present for a moment, then it is gone. We look to the future to see the possibilities and stimulate hope, happiness, and many other things we want to see in our future.
We do not begin life in a university or college unless you simply call that living. I began getting my fill of working by following my mother in the fields while she was helping her father picking potatoes in his field with the family, and again later my parents flower shop.
Sometimes we forget the lessons we learn, or at least set them aside to tell our children and grand children when they come along, just as my parents and grandparents did for me. Usually, it was about a lesson they learned.
I have done many-many things in my life, long before I went to the university, mostly to work. I did take a lot of classes but my focus was work. Still I learn about management, laws, time management, personnel, art, creative writing, and especially on how to be physically tired most of the time. I won’t bore you with all the details, but it was for thirty-eight years.
I moved up from being a custodial foreman to an assistant director of operations over many facilities. This was achieved by remembering all of the lessons from the field and the many jobs I had growing up, and the lessons my parents and grandparents told.
My fathers words stayed with me and kept me going when things were hard. He told me once, “Can’t is a sluggard, too lazy to try.” I have always tried.
Success is measured by the attempt, and you will know if you succeeded even when others don’t.
Life In General 