Things that never happened

In 1977 we moved back to Coronado, California. I was confident I could get a job at the Navy overhaul and repair shop at the Naval Air Station on North Island. I was very good at repairing radio and navigation equipment currently in use at the facility. What I did not know was there was a long list of applicants for a very few positions. I was told there would be a waiting period of at least a year or two. We had lived on Coronado when I was in the navy and loved the place. Coronado was heaven on earth to us. I expected a long life right there. It did not happen. With that said, I did get a job at the then Burroughs computer corporation and met a lot of great people, some of whom are still friends today. Sometimes we don’t get what we want, but in the end it can be better than what we wanted.

In 1974 as I was leaving the navy, I had a job offer from the border patrol, working on their planes and repairing their electronics. It was tempting and we could have stayed on Coronado. We could have bought a bungalow on Coronado for $34,000, but I had different ideas in my head. That had to be the biggest mistake in my life.

In 1971 my naval shore duty was over, so I requested a squadron at Whidby Island; I had been on a cruise in 67, sharing our shop with guys from Whidby and they all seemed to love the place; they were buying homes and land there for their retirement years. I never got to be there. The link above speaks of the 10 best things to do there. I do not know how that would have turned out, but I would have liked to know just what would have happened.

Despite all of my mistakes, things have worked out well. Had we never left California or got to Widby Island I would never have had granddaughter Hailey or Rhett, her father or Jane, (his mother) in our life and that would would have been a great loss. I would never have met all the wonderful people I worked with at Litton in Springfield. The only thing I can say is, sometimes when dreams do not come true it is not a bad thing, it just wasn’t meant to be.