My first big life changing event was joining the navy. I wanted to learn electronics and see the world on uncle Sam's dime. I didn't realize how many other things I would be doing, not all of them fun. I did see almost half of the world, maybe not the pretty side, but then I will never know at this point. I can't complain though; I was satisfied with what I did see.
Shortly after joining the navy the biggest life changer of all came in a most delightful package. Joyce and I were married just 4 months into my navy enlistment. We had a wonderful first year; we had nothing but each other and that was all we needed.
3 1/2 years later along came our daughter and what a change that was in our lives. Having a child turns things upside down, but in a good way; we had a whole new life form to take care of instead of just a free and easy lifestyle, but it was worth the change.
The fourth real life changer I classify as the 3 times we got to live in California. The navy put us there 2 of those times and we chose to go back there the 3rd time. We were there during the good times, before what I have heard it is today. I do not want to demean the state, more to speak of the wonderful times we had there in past years. There are a lot of people living there and as far as I know they are not running for the exits.
The 5th life changer was moving to the farm. We spent 27 years there. Living in a small rural area requires a learning curve. Work was 23 miles each way, near 30 for Joyce. Anytime we needed more than basic items it was 25 miles each way to big stores. Anyone who was not born there or at least went through the school system there was forever an outsider, after all our years there it still didn't make a difference. The picture above is an aerial view of the farm. To give you a little perspective of its size, look at the barn halfway down and just to the left of it there is a tiny white dot. That dot is me standing in part of our garden.
We got too old to keep the farm properly and moved to an apartment in a real town, causing another changing life experience. Old age, retirement and living in a nice more comfortable place was not as tough as other life changes, but it sure has been different.
One common thread through all of our life changing experiences is broadening our horizons. I cannot begin to imagine how many people we have met. We have met people from around the world, we've dined with them, partied with them, learned about so many different cultures. There is a Mark Twain quote that sums up our philosophy. It goes like this: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness."
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2026 and beyond.
Shortly after joining the navy the biggest life changer of all came in a most delightful package. Joyce and I were married just 4 months into my navy enlistment. We had a wonderful first year; we had nothing but each other and that was all we needed.
3 1/2 years later along came our daughter and what a change that was in our lives. Having a child turns things upside down, but in a good way; we had a whole new life form to take care of instead of just a free and easy lifestyle, but it was worth the change.
The fourth real life changer I classify as the 3 times we got to live in California. The navy put us there 2 of those times and we chose to go back there the 3rd time. We were there during the good times, before what I have heard it is today. I do not want to demean the state, more to speak of the wonderful times we had there in past years. There are a lot of people living there and as far as I know they are not running for the exits.
The 5th life changer was moving to the farm. We spent 27 years there. Living in a small rural area requires a learning curve. Work was 23 miles each way, near 30 for Joyce. Anytime we needed more than basic items it was 25 miles each way to big stores. Anyone who was not born there or at least went through the school system there was forever an outsider, after all our years there it still didn't make a difference. The picture above is an aerial view of the farm. To give you a little perspective of its size, look at the barn halfway down and just to the left of it there is a tiny white dot. That dot is me standing in part of our garden.
We got too old to keep the farm properly and moved to an apartment in a real town, causing another changing life experience. Old age, retirement and living in a nice more comfortable place was not as tough as other life changes, but it sure has been different.
One common thread through all of our life changing experiences is broadening our horizons. I cannot begin to imagine how many people we have met. We have met people from around the world, we've dined with them, partied with them, learned about so many different cultures. There is a Mark Twain quote that sums up our philosophy. It goes like this: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness."
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2026 and beyond.
No comments:
Post a Comment