2/5/17

Grateful For Opportunity

I’m grateful I’ve had the opportunity to build my life. I had a happy childhood. My parents were hard working people. My siblings and I were safe, protected, stimulated, cared for. I did well in school and had friends. I was able to participate in sports and was involved in a number of activities. I traveled regionally with the diving team and placed well in competitive meets.

I was able to find jobs. I started delivering the Lincoln Star and Omaha World Herald at 5 a.m. when I was 12-years-old. I worked in food service, most notably busing tables at Spaghetti Works, and then bartending. I worked summers on the assembly line at Norden Laboratories. I pumped gas as Sinclair. I always had a little spending money, which was important; I wanted to take my girlfriend out on weekends and keep gas in my car.

My parents paid for my undergraduate education, which they did for my siblings as well. Pretty impressive, even with the scholarship money some of us earned. And they didn’t put up too much of a fight when I told them I wanted to move to New Mexico after graduation, with only $600 in my pocket and no plans!

And the opportunities continued. How lucky I was to teach middle-school for seven years, meet and marry an incredible woman, have three great kids, and change careers when I needed to…

Now I get to plan my days, create my work schedule, and do mentally and physically satisfying work. I get to rest when necessary, exercise every day, take the dog for long walks, and care for my family. I am sincerely thankful to have the opportunity to control the direction of my life.