Who am I?

Thats a great question.
                    I guess many would say that I am a walking talking breathing contradiction. I guess it's safe to say that I am a diverse individual.

                    I will explain only a little bit of back story for context. If you want the whole thing you will have to wait for my memoirs. I am very well traveled, My Dad was in the Navy which means we moved around,,,,,,,,a lot and I also traveled for pleasure. I was in the Coast Guard and then a government contractor so I did even more travel for work. Needless to say, I have had exposure to various cultures which does tend to color a person's views a bit. Now on to what makes me, well me.

                    I am a pacifist but was proud to serve in the military. I am a devout Christian but relish in conversations with those of other faith groups. I believe in Creation and Evolution. I am politically conservative but have a lot of liberal ideas. I am a geek and a gear head. I think we should listen to our elders but disagree with the idea that "children should be seen but not heard". We can learn a lot from our children. I'm an absolute extrovert but would love nothing more than living in the mountains away from people.I can fly an airplane but have a fear of heights. I'm a middle aged intellectual who enjoys acting like a kid, I even play games online with people of all ages. In a nut shell, in order to put a label on me, you would have to use a stack of labels. I am educated enough to hold a conversation with anyone I meet and can cater his speech to that of his environment. I celebrate the differences between all people. I think, surrounding yourself with only like minded individuals would get boring and you would run out of things to discuss. Although I hate confrontation, I do dearly love a good debate.

                     To all of I say, live life to the fullest but don't be full of yourself. Get out and meet new people and truly stop and listen to what they have to share instead of trying to convince them that what you have to say is more important. Don't fear change but don't forget the past either. Stare your fears right in the face then push past them. Find or make your bucket list and start checking items off. Do that today. Remember, if you ever get sick, your job wont comfort you but your friends and family will so check your priorities.

                      If you think what I have to say is at least intriguing, stay tuned for further posts. You may find new friends or realize how small the earth really is.

Were's the Reset Button?

I have seen several posts lately that have made me ask this question. Issues from politics to childhood to how to be a human being. Maybe its just a natural part of getting older but life seemed so much simpler when I was younger and I'm not just talking about the obvious things like I didnt have to pay bills or taxes. I'm talking about the real life issues. I was allowed to go outside and play around my neighborhood and the rules were simple-play nice, share with others, dont hit and look both ways before you cross the street. When Mom called out from the porch you went to see what she needed. We didnt worry about our rights or civil liberties, we didnt have any but we didnt really have any responsibilities either. We didnt realy worry about where the food came from or whether or not we would eat. We didnt worry about getting kidnapped or raped. A stranger was a friend we hadnt met yet. We didnt worry about aids or gunmen in schools. We said our Pledge of Allegiance and then a prayer every day at school. No one screamed about the fact it said "One Nation under God". When we got a few pennies to rub together we went and got ice cream or candy. When the table was set (usually by one of us kids) we sat down and ate together and discussed our day. We ate what Mom fixed and if you didn't finish it, you didn't get dessert. If you didn't like it, tough. When my parents told me to do something, I never used the terms "WHY" or "NO", those weren't options. If I got out of hand then I got the hand. Out of hand is pretty much not doing what I was told. I never through a tantrum in a store. (I can only imagine the punishment for such an infraction of the parental penal code, I'm guessing the rack or beheading.)I'm just kidding. My parents (yes, I said parents, plural) loved me. They loved me enough to set boundaries. They taught me to respect authority, respect other people and to have respect for myself. With these boundaries in place I knew what I could and couldn't get away with. As long as I followed my teachings, I really had nothing to fear. That lack of fear equals freedom. I felt as though I had free run of the world and that is true freedom and happiness. Feel free to add to this and comment.