Friday, August 2, 2019

Regrets 190802

      As Frank Sinatra sang in his song My Way "regrets I've had a few, but then again too few to mention."



      Most of my regrets are for things I did not do, not what I did. Joyce and I were happy that we were able to help my parents when they needed it. We were able to help Joyce's mother by caring for her when she needed help. We have always felt that helping out family is what a person should do if they are able to do so. We are not saints, don't profess to be one. What we did was what anyone should do, no more, no less. It was a privilege to have the opportunity to help parents who raised us. Decades later, now we are the ones who need help at times and we have gotten it. Karma seems to work, sometimes it works quickly as in our case.
      As for regrets, my first 4 years in the navy were spent traveling, having a lot of excitement with my adventures and having a good time doing it. When my first enlistment was up I was facing a financial and employment crisis. I had responsibilities to Joyce and our daughter Annie and no way to successfully carry them out, all because I had not planned for their needs as I should have. When I re-enlisted, I was determined to correct the errors in my ways. I studied diligently to learn all I could to become a better electronic tech while practicing my craft working on on naval equipment by day and televisions, stereos and recording devices at night so I would be ready to open my own repair shop. That sounded like a good idea at the time, but I was not a savvy business man and that became obvious later.
      When my second hitch in the navy was completed it was time to leave naval service. I thought I was ready to support my family in my chosen profession. We had been living on Coronado the last 11 months in the navy. Just before my separation from naval service, I had the opportunity to buy a nice 2 bedroom bungalow near the beach for $35,000. I had a good down-payment and San Diego had lots of good jobs in the electronic industry, but I had it in my head that I wanted to go back to Missouri and work on entertainment equipment. Here comes my big regret; I didn't buy the bungalow and stay. I would have made good money there and that was right before housing prices skyrocketed in southern California. Had I stayed in California another 10 years I could have saved a lot of money and the little bungalow would have been worth many times more than what I paid for it.
      Everyone has regrets at times, either for what they did or didn't do and here's the truth of it; what we did or didn't do is what makes us who we are today.
      
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2019 and beyond.

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