You Never Know Where The Road Of Life Takes You!

joasis

I was watching the movie, "The Worlds Fastest Indian" today, and Anthony Hopkin's charachter said "you just never know where life will take you". And I was thinking about the thread about if we knew then, what we know now......and look what the responses were. So I was thinking about a few steps beyond that, and the line above...you just never know.

I graduated HS and Vo-Tech in 1979, and headed out in the oil patch...no college for this smart kid...I just knew it all. I had framed homes for two summers and hated it....hated the construction work I grew up with (remodeling)....bored with the oil field, started a machine shop.....4 years later, sold out and went trucking....out and back into construction...steel erection. Economy collapsed, and into the Army to fly.....out an into a nightclub venture...divorced and broke and headed to college, I was 30. Graduated 3 years later and started teaching plus working on a M.Ed.....5 years was enough, and back into trucking, owned three running flatbed in 48 states....a year later, back in construction. Along the way, I have bartended, dug graves, heavy equipment operator, sold steel buildings, trained machinists, welder and flunkie......and here I am, right back where I started.

The point is, if you had told me in 1979, I would have a good business in construction and contracting, I would have said you are plain nuts!

I once aspired to fly....and then to teach...and to be a trucker....I used to dream about racing motorcycles and luckily, figured out I just didn't have it before I killed myself...raced stock cars on a dirt track for a few years.....expensive hobby...too boring, so I skydived...too thrilling...so now I don't fly anymore, I ride a V Star maybe a few hundred miles a year, I feel the aches and pains of a beat up body every day.....and I am doing what I hated when I was a kid. I will be 48 next month...where has the time went?

You just never know where life will take you!

__________________

jmic

Or how fast it will take you there.

__________________
___"Remember You Never Get A Second Chance To Make A First Impression"______________________
Joe

mdshunk

When I was small, I had a Dr. Seuss's "My Book About Me", in which you fill out a variety of things about yourself. I was maybe 4 when I filled it out with the help of my Mom. I wrote in there that I wanted to be a plumber. As I aged, it seemed I had a natural talent for computers and in particular programming. That's what I ended up going to college for. As it turned out, I never worked a day in the computer field, and have pretty much always worked as an electrician with brief forays into hvac and sprinkler fitting. I had an Aunt that once told me that I could be President of The United States if I wanted to, and I believed her for a long time. I never really had any interest in that, however. I like what I do, and don't have any trouble getting out of bed in the morning to do it, so I guess that's what counts.

eagleandbaby

Life is a mystery that’s for sure. The parents people get are the ones their dealt. Sometimes people get a good hand and sometimes a bad one. Every person has their own upbringing of hurts and dreams to struggle with in life. When were around 18 we have to come to terms with that and create a life.

My family too owned a machine shop and I worked there since I was 12. I told myself while I was growing up that I would never by a machinist and follow in my father and grandfathers footsteps. There shop was a success and road the wave of the aerospace boom in Southern California in the 1950’s. When I graduated high school my father did not want me to work at the shop right away. I got several jobs at restaurants while going to school. I completed all the requirements for a Bachelors of Science degree at Cal Poly Pomona University except for 6 classes when I met my wife and quit going. We had kids right away. I went to work for my dad as a truck driver/toilet cleaner/general cleanup sweeper guy and lunch getter. I was really depressed. Eventually I was promoted to shipping and receiving clerk and then to purchasing person. I was making pretty good money, bought a house and settled into the daily grind. Even though I was making good money I still did not feel good I felt any success I had there would always have the cloud over it that I could not have done it without my dad. My dad got seriously ill from a stroke and was unable to be an active partner with my Uncle in the business. He died a slow death. My uncle was an idiot when my dad was there and when my dad died he became an even bigger idiot. I did not fit into the future plans of the shop and his young wife so was forced to leave. I decided to go into construction because I liked doing that work on the side for myself and I had built cabinets and fences when I was young. I went from making a good salary, ($150,000K per year in late 90’s- minus the 30 to 40 k in cash I had to kick back to my uncle to help hide $ from his x wife) to making $11.00 per hour working on a housing tract (ouch!). Eventually I finished my degree, which was excruciatingly hard, and started my own business. Things are getting better now but it has been a huge struggle.

Things I learned: My parents got smarter and smarter as I grew older. I also learned to never give up. I hope my kids don’t have to struggle as much as I did to figure out what they want to do.

An unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates.

Thanks Joasis.

__________________
homemasters

woodmagman

I was born with a hammer in one hand and a golden chalice in the other. I was destine to be a priest. The winding road made a full circle before I was 17 and a contractor I became. Time has moved so fast, there is no way to look back….and no time to regret.