Some Light On The Commemoration Of A Dark Day

Something light for you on this day, September 11th, the 15th anniversary of the worst foreign attack on U.S. soil since the beginning of this country. Remember those who died then and since then due to long term injuries or illness caused by that event, all as a result of a creed of hatred

A friend sent this to me as an email. I've seen it before. It passes around periodically. It's attributed to the late 60 Minutes contributor, Andy Rooney. I tried to vet it since so much of what passes around on the Internet is attributed to people who had nothing to do with it. Whether Andy Rooney had anything to do with these thoughts or not, I hope they lightened your heart a little on this darkly commemorative day.

I've learned....
That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned....
That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned .....
That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned....
That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.....
That being kind is more important than being right.

Universal Laws

Today I thought I'd touch on something educational, serious and humorous . . . Universal Laws.

What are universal laws? They are laws, not necessarily, and probably not, passed, imposed and enforced by elected bodies of people who, supposedly, are wise and intelligent enough to create laws, ordinances, codes and such in the best interest of the people who elected them to their position to represent us. If you detected a bit of condescending arrogance in that description, you're most likely wiser and more intelligent then those I was describing.

Universal laws are laws or rules that impact and effect virtually everyone in a variety of facets of our daily lives. Not every universal law impacts us everyday, but you can count on them all year long. There are probably a lot more universal laws than I know about (or may even want to know about). I'm going to mention only a few of the most common ones. If you want to contribute others, please do so in the comment section of the blog. Inquiring minds want to know.

So, here we go . . .

There Are Other Worlds To Sing In

I had a very different article planned for today. Then early this morning, as is my routine when I wake up, I grabbed my, now nearly indispensable, OnePlus One smart phone to read my morning email, blog feeds, peruse the headlines, check out an interesting YouTube video and maybe listen to all or part of a podcast. My college friend from many years ago, Greg Cordano from New Jersey, sends out daily emails with uplifting, positive quotes, encouraging ideas and anecdotal stories. I always read them because I know Greg and I know his heart and his intention to make people feel better and improve themselves.

This morning, Greg sent a rather lengthy story. I read it and it instantly resonated with some of my own thoughts and some things I've been hearing from other bloggers and podcasters recently. After I completed reading it, I decided to go out on my three to four mile walk and relisten to the latest episode of Darren Rowse's “Problogger.com” podcast. I was already inspired by Greg's story, but some of the things Darren was talking about fell right in line with what I was feeling about Greg's story. It was then, during my walk, when decided to change my article today and share Greg's story with you.

Intelligence vs. Education

I've learned a lot over seven decades of life. The first 18 years were dedicated to learning the basics of surviving and functioning productively as an adult. The next 10 years were dedicated to the finishing period of preparing for a lifetime career by completing two college degrees and serving four years in the U.S. Air Force. The next 22 years were dedicated to my most active professional and productive period. The last 20 years, while I remained very active in my career and even expanded into another professional direction, was the period when I began to review my life and evaluate all I learned over the preceding years. I continue that review to this day.

When I turned 50, I remember saying, "Geez! I'm a half century old. I managed to survive and thrive. I believe I have reached a point where I might actually have gained some wisdom to share with others. And, now that I'm a half century old, I don't care what other people think or how they judge me anymore." Boy! Did that feel good. I adopted the mantra, WYSIWYG (pronounced - wiz ee wig) meaning - what you see is what you get!

My father used to repeat a little bit of wisdom when I was a kid. "Everyday I learn more and more about less and less until one day I'll know everything about nothing." He never made the 50 year milestone. He died at 42. His little saying confused as a kid, after all, when I was 16 and 17 I knew everything. You just had to tell me something and my immediate reply was, "I know! I know!" My thought, since age 50 has been, I wish I knew everything now that I knew when I was 17. I'll wager there are a lot of readers who have had the same or similar thoughts.

With age comes wisdom (usually). Today I understand the profundity of my father's declaration about learning more and more about less and less. I epitomize that statement. There is so much to know and so much new knowledge being created everyday. It's probably always been impossible for any one human being to know everything. Today, impossible doesn't begin to describe the potential of knowing everything.

Intelligence vs. Education

A powerful and vitally important distinction revealed itself to me many years ago. It's proven itself to be irrefutable as the years have passed. Intelligence and education are mutually exclusive. It bothers me, I might even go as far as to say it angers me, to constantly hear this constant mantra about today's teenagers and young adults NEEDING a college education. My immediate response every time I hear that is "bullshit!"

What today's teenagers and young adults need is to learn to THINK CRITICALLY! That's where we are failing our young generations. Our focus is not in teaching young people to think critically. It's teaching them how to memorize the necessary information to pass a series of standardized tests so "no child is left behind."

FACT: Some people are more intelligent than other people!

FACT: Gaining education without the ability or intelligence to apply it is a waste of time and creates huge student loan debts (over one trillion dollars, currently).

FACT: Many of the most successful people in our society do not have college degrees.

FACT: Massive numbers of college graduates work for businesses led by individuals who don't have college degrees.

FACT: More people have college degrees in fields they will never make a living from than ever before.

FACT: Our country has fallen from (at one time) #1 to #16 (even Russia and Poland rank higher than the U.S.) in overall education. And according to the latest rankings by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the U.S. is below average ranking at #31 in Math, #24 in Science and #21 in Reading.

That's enough facts. The reality is that the U.S. and the world in general is spawning more and more educated derelicts. Please don't misunderstand my meaning. I'm not maligning education or you, if you have one or more degrees. I'm a product of the education system. I'm a high school graduate and I earned a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree. While I never applied either of the college degrees for the specific purpose they were designated for (teaching and working in the TV & radio industry), as a media entrepreneur, I applied most of the practical knowledge (not so much the liberal arts part of the degrees other than being able to talk and write somewhat intelligently) in my businesses.

My father was a non-degreed electrical/mechanical design engineer. I'm not sure if he even graduated from high school. My father had native intelligence and applied it. Because of him, the fax machine became a common place part of businesses and other parts of society globally. Also, he became a specialist in servo mechanisms used in the guidance systems of ballistic missiles and the U.S. space program. He had degreed engineers working under his supervision.

My son, chose not to attend college even though his 7th grade PSAT scores were high enough to qualify him for most colleges and universities. He is a self-taught graphic designer and Web developer beginning when he was in high school. Today, after ten plus years of working under contract for a long list of major corporations including Microsoft, Amazon and T-Mobile, he is employed by one of the Big Four international accounting and business consulting firms, shoulder to shoulder with offices full of MBA's. They all depend on him because he can take all their ideas and put them to work on a practical level.

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Bill Lear, Larry Ellison, J.C. Penney, John D. Rockefeller, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Branson, Dave Thomas, Will Smith, Mark Zuckerberg, Walt Disney, Ray Kroc, Dolly Parton, Rachael Ray, Debbie Fields, Mary Kay Ash, Coco Chanel and many, many other men and women became very successful without college degrees and in many cases without graduating high school.

Was it difficult for them to become successful? Sure! Very few people attain instant success. Most successful people will make all kinds of significant sacrifices. Is it easier to reach the levels of success these well-known people have attained with a college degree. Not necessarily. It is my belief and opinion that it required raw intelligence, an idea, a dream, the willingness to do whatever it takes to realize the dream and persistence. None of these qualities require or are taught as part of any college degree program.

Can college degree holders become as successful? Of course, however, they often begin four to six years later than non-degreed successful people. Also, those with degrees may also begin tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand dollars or more in debt before they can start their careers.

Intelligence

Intelligence is a raw, genetic trait individuals are born with. Despite the idea that all people are born equal, I don't believe that. I believe that some people are born with genius levels of intelligence. Some people are born with a low degree of raw intelligence. They may be trainable and functional, however, they will not be candidates for the CEO of Ford Motor Company. The majority of the population fall somewhere between those two extremes. We could call it average intelligence, but if you're referring to those at the crest of a bell shaped curve, once again, that is still only a nominal portion of the population.

Intelligence is that quality or trait that allows an individual to function in society and all of life's situations. The gift of talent may be equated with intelligence. Some extremely intelligent people may not be able to tie their own shoelaces, yet they might be geniuses in math. Intelligent people are those who can take a basic idea and turn it into a tangible invention, product, business, etc. Those with less intelligence are the people who are instrumental in producing the product, providing a service and making the business or organization function.

Mr. Herbert Reaske, an English professor at Montclair State College when I attended there in 1963, taught me the two most important things I learned in college. He was the professor of the first class of my college career. Mr. Reaske taught me that to be successful in life I needed to be able to burn the candle at both ends and to THINK CRITICALLY. He said that everything else I would experience in the way of classes, reading, papers and exams during my college education were basically all rote repetition. I had to get through them to earn the degree, but I didn't need to focus my life on them. If I could think critically, I could find this information, again, in the future should I ever need to.

That's the secret - THINKING CRITICALLY!

Education

Here is our failure! Education. This is why we are falling so far behind the rest of the world. As I stated earlier, I don't have any issues with anyone gaining an education. However, I believe we have long ago lost focus on the concept and process of education. School systems are dropping the requirement to learn cursive writing. We no longer focus on learning the traditional math tables and doing long arithmetic because we have calculators. There is controversy over assigning homework to elementary, middle and high school students. Is this too much work?

Here are a few more facts. Asian students study far more hours per day than U.S. students. They also have higher test scores and are ahead of U.S. students in math, science and reading. Another fact, there are more college graduates in India than the entire population of the U.S. Apparently, they are highly qualified and motivated, too, which is why we find so many Indian doctors, scientists and engineers migrating to the U.S. Either we aren't graduating enough people in these fields OR the Indian graduates are more qualified than the U.S. graduates.

 Here's another personal opinion. We have become a nation of educated derelicts. Of course, we have always had a certain percentage of educated derelicts. I simply believe we are graduating more and more of them. Why? Because too many people going to college are not prepared for college when they get there. They have unrealistic expectations of what a college education is and what it's supposed to do for a graduate. They are immature and aren't focused on education, but having a fun college life. Upon graduation, all too often, carrying a massive student loan burden, they expect to find jobs that will pay "big money" so they can live comfortably, buy "toys" and pay off their loans. But, no one wants to start at the bottom.

Also, I like to remind everyone, there can only be one #1 in class ranking. Therefore everyone else falls into place where their grades and efforts place them. There are those at the bottom of the class ranking, too. Are they not as intelligent? Do they not apply themselves? Do they not care enough about their future?

We all want to live and work in buildings designed and built by the #1 in the engineering or architecture class. We also want to be treated and operated on by the #1 in the medical school class. It doesn't matter what the field or industry, we all want #1 to serve us. So, what happens to all those who are in the lower class rankings? Is this why people who often get the positions may be from foreign countries?

Education is a process. Intelligence is a gift. If you have the gift and apply it by learning to think critically, an education may enhance your capabilities. However, if the system is failing you then, maybe applying your gift of intelligence without a "formal" education may be the better route for you. Expect some discrimination. Some employers don't evaluate employment candidates based on abilities and experience, but on their degrees and the institutions that conferred the degrees.

Think Critically

This is my admonition to you. Regardless of how intelligent you are, if you're reading this article, you have at least average or above average intelligence. Stop blindly being a follower and start living your life on your own terms. If you have kids, do something unpopular - challenge them. Help them learn. Help them to think critically by posing situations they have to actually use their minds to resolve. Limit their exposure to video games (you, too). They are addictive and take massive amounts of time away from one's life.

To live free you have to think free. You have to be independent and not concerned about what "They" think or what "They" tell you is right for your life. To be free, your mind must be under your own control. Set an example for your family, friends and others you come into contact with by defining what living free means to you and then using the gift of your intelligence to achieve it. Then guide your children and others down that path by your example. 

Expect The Unexpected

One interesting facet of life is that the old sayings, "The best laid plans of mice and men, often go astray" taken from a Robert Burns poem and "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong," a popular variation of Murphy's infamous law, are almost a given at some and ,usually, many times during one's life.

Some people will say that I'm spouting negative thinking. I beg to differ. I say I'm simply stating a fact of life, negative or positive. If these two statements have never applied at any time during your lifetime to this date, then you're overdue and you have a lot of catching up to do. Life is not perfect and it certainly isn't fair. However, one could (and really should) say the variety of challenges and difficult times we face and work our way through is what makes life interesting. They help us grow to be the strong, capable, competent people most of us become.

So, I simply suggest you accept that you need to . . .

Expect The Unexpected!

This is reality. The unexpected lurks around every corner, over every hill, behind every tree and from, well, the most unexpected places, people and circumstances. This is obviously why they are called unexpected. Even the best of the control freaks among us simply can't control every possibility. Life is just what it is. A giant serendipity and not all the things that befall us are positive.

On January 4, 2015, I was driving on I-5 through an area known as "The Grape Vine." This is a winding and pretty steep section of the interstate highway going over the mountain between the San Joaquin Valley and the San Fernando Valley leading into the Los Angeles basin. As I was progressing westbound up the steep, winding road to the 4,200 foot Tejon pass through the top of the mountain range, I felt the engine losing power. I stayed to the right in the slower truck lane. At about 2,400 feet, the engine failed. I lost all power and fortunately was able to pull off into a large area designed for the 18 wheelers and dual trailer trucks. I was in a safe place.

So, there it was. The unexpected. Did I expect it? Sort of, but not really. I realized that the engine was acting a little peculiar for a while, even on the continental crossing. But, I didn't expect a profound engine failure. Yet, here I was, 84 miles from my Los Angeles area destination and well over a hundred miles from the place I departed from in Clovis, California. I let the engine rest and cool down for about a half hour. I restarted the engine and it ran. It was noisier than before. When I put the transmission in Drive, the van moved forward, but, it had no power. I contemplated my options for a few minutes and decided I'd attempt to limp the 84 miles to my destination. I pulled the van onto the shoulder of I-5 and the best speed I could muster was about 10 mph with occasional spurts to 15 mph on the uphill grade.

I made it up the steep hill and through the pass. On the downhill side gravity would help the van achieve about 45 to 50 mph. So, I pressed on.

More Unexpected

I wasn't a happy traveler, but at least I felt confident I could limp to my destination and address this unexpected engine problem the next day, a Monday. Then, all of a sudden, now on I-405 and a mere 15 miles from my destination, I felt the sickening feeling of a flat tire. Again, I was fortunate enough to be next to a very wide pull off area. I got out, walked around the van, and sure enough, the brand new (less than 225 miles on it) right, rear tire was flat. So, this time I called AAA. It took a little over an hour for someone to arrive and change the tire to the spare.

Back on the road again, the four hour drive stretched to about eight hours when I finally arrived at my destination. The unexpected continued as I learned I was going to either need another engine or to have my engine rebuilt. Then to twist the knife of fate a little deeper, once the engine was rebuilt it seemed to be "possessed" by some kind of "demon." The engine technicians who rebuilt the engine tried everything and every trick in the book to find the problem and exorcise it. weeks then a month and then nearly two months went by before the demon was found and the engine (and van) were finally ready to get me back on the road, almost two months behind my "loose" schedule.

The Moral of the Story

This post is about expecting the unexpected. And, believe me, the  misfortunes I experienced were unexpected. But, with 70 years of my life to fall back on, indeed, even though these were unexpected events, I dealt with them as though I did expect them.

This is not the only incident like this I've experienced. Over my lifetime I can relate tens of experiences. And, if I really wanted to list and count them, it would probably exceed a hundred. Some of them were major life changing events like the death of my father at age 42 (I was 21) at his own hand. Another was my son, barely a toddler at the time, pulling a cup of scalding hot coffee on himself despite extreme efforts to place that cup in a location he couldn't reach. Another was the demise of my first marriage after nearly 20 years together. Even more unexpected was the demise of my second marriage after only seven months. Then there was the diagnosis and nearly fatal case of lymphoma of my third major relationship and the painful demise of that relationship after I nursed her back to health. There was my own diagnosis of prostate cancer culminating in the first and only major surgery of my life. And, then there was my son's emergency surgery for a ruptured spleen at age 15 while living with me, a single parent.

Yes! Life is full of all kinds of unexpected events. I'm sure you can enumerate many of them yourself. The unexpected is what shapes and molds us as individuals. It is these tests of our mettle that determines how we will succeed, muddle through or fail in life. There is another old saying that goes, "God never presents you with any challenges you can't handle." Some of these unexpected events may seem impossible on first examination. Most of us find the strength, courage and motivation to face them down and come out stronger on the other side.

Some of these unexpected experiences will actually be what we might refer to as serendipities. Not all unexpected events and experiences are negative. Many are positive and may be just as life changing as the negative experiences. Additionally, there is frequently a silver lining on the other side of that unexpected "dark cloud." You simply have to be looking for it as you tackle the unexpected.

Here's my current bottom line. I'm writing this article sitting next to My McVansion that's providing me with shade in the Arizona desert near the small town of  Quartzsite. The sky is deep blue, with a few white clouds. The sun is bright. The temperature is about 90 degrees, but in the shade with a pleasant breeze, I'm about as comfortable as I'd be in an air conditioned building. At night the temperature dips into the low to mid 60's and the huge, clear sky reveals a billion, billion stars. I'm camped here with several other full-time, vandwelling nomads who are now friends. We've enjoyed a couple days of camaraderie, sharing ideas, knowledge and experiences. Had I arrived here two months ago when I had originally intended to be here there would have been hundreds of people here. I look at it this way, these are the people I was meant to meet.

Additionally, I got to spend two months with my son, more time together than we've spent together in the past 11+ years. What a blessing that turned out to be. I just spent four days in the Palm Springs area getting to know a person who could be considered my step daughter along with her family. Then I had the opportunity to spend time with my former wife, my son's mother. We've maintained a friendship for the past 25 years since we went our separate ways. Before I left for the desert, my son arrived and the three of us shared a dinner together. I left for the desert. My son left to go back to Los Angeles to catch his flight to Istanbul, Turkey, where he sent me a text from to let me know he arrived safe and sound.

Expect the unexpected. And, when the unexpected makes itself known, deal with the issues and look for the "silver lining" on the other side. 

Photo-of-the-Week - Tiny Town - Tiny Post Office, Tinnie, New Mexico, December 2014

So, could this photo represent one of the reasons the U.S. Postal Service is losing money every year?

This is a tiny post office in the town of Tinnie, New Mexico, a tiny town in a group of tiny towns I passed through on my way to California. Personally, I don't see any problem a tiny post office like this one. I was once served by a tiny post office in Cross Junction, Virginia. However that tiny Virginia post office served a large part of the rural area of Frederick County, Virginia. . . READ MORE

Without Bound - Perspectives on Mobile Living - A Video Documentary

So, what is this "living free" lifestyle all about? If you're living free, on your own terms, out of the mainstream, typical, might I even say "average," American lifestyle, then I'm sure you've had people ask you why you choose to live this way. Perhaps they even tell you they envy you, but . . . they could never do it.

I get that regularly. Now, I do my best to not be judgmental. Part of living free is to accept that everyone has the same choices as you and I have. It's not my job to "convert" anyone to my belief system or lifestyle. I don't mind explaining my ideas and thoughts and I'm always happy to assist anyone believing they want to give it a go and take on living free as a way of life.

There are a lot of us around the country (and around the world) who have chosen some form of living free lifestyle. Not all of us are mobile dwellers in RV's, travel trailers, vans, cargo trucks, utility trailers, converted school buses, SUV's, cars and tents. Some prefer to be more stationary and have created all kinds of unique and interesting housing units, many of which, definitely, can not be considered sticks and bricks.

The bottom line is living free is an individual's expression of his or her personal freedom and liberty to live and subsist in whatever manner he or she chooses as long as it doesn't infringe on anyone else's personal freedoms and liberties. There are as many stories as there are people living this kind of lifestyle.

A New Video Documentary

Michael Tubbs, a professional filmmaker and graphic designer, became intrigued by the lifestyle of a number of mobile living free proponents.  He, with a colleague, decided to interview and film a number of those people who have been doing this mobile, living free lifestyle for a number of years.

Each individual has his or her own take on why he or she chose to live free in some form of mobile living accommodation. If you've been part of this lifestyle or you're even a wannabe who lurks in the background of many of the RVing, Vandwelling and similar Yahoo Forum sites, then most of the people in the documentary will be familiar to you. You also likely follow many of their blogs.

Perhaps you are only an occasional visitor to my blog. You might have a healthy or, possibly, an almost voyeuristic curiosity about people like me and those in this documentary.  Maybe you're sitting on the fence, wanting to jump over on our side, but need a bit more of a nudge to make the decision and take the action. Then viewing this 50 minute, professionally and nicely produced, documentary will be well worth the time you invest.

You'll hear one of the main stigma's of this kind of lifestyle dispelled. That stigma is the difference between a homeless person and someone who freely chooses this lifestyle. There is a significant difference.

So, click on this link http://youtu.be/Lg37Cbx-kak  and enjoy learning about "Without Bound - Perspectives on Mobile Living."

My kudos go to Michael Tubbs, the producer and his colleague, Aaron Harlan for creating a well done representation of a unique lifestyle. As a 50 year media producer myself, I appreciate the care and professionalism displayed in the camera work, sound, storyboarding, sensitivity and editing for this production. I hope to have an opportunity to meet up with Michael Tubbs one day and express my appreciation in person.

Let me know what you think after you've viewed the documentary.

Additionally, I urge you to share this documentary with as many people as you'd like to. I would especially share it with those detractors who may be holding you back from making an important choice. That choice is to express your personal freedom through a non-conforming, alternative, living free, lifestyle.

BEWARE - SCAM ALERT! Mystery Shopper Scam Using Social Media

Many people seek opportunities to generate extra revenue. There are, of course, more ways to approach this then there is room in this post to mention them all. A lot of the readers of this blog are "location independent" (full-time) or at least part-time "travelers. So, you are usually looking for portable, mobile or, in someway, location independent opportunities.

So, here's the deal. There are at least as many scams and possibly more as there are legitimate opportunities. The challenge is often that the scam or con is so well crafted that even the smartest of us can be duped. . . READ MORE

I'm Dying . . .

I'm not sure there is any news that could possibly be more sobering.

I had my routine check up with my regular primary physician last week. I also had an appointment with my ophthalmologist. It's an every other year ritual with my eye guy.

It was during these examinations that I discovered that I had a chronic, terminal condition. My primary doctor had my latest lab reports when she came into the examining room. . . READ MORE

Grades Just Don't Matter All That Much!

An old high school friend forwarded a YouTube video to me a little while ago. The title of the YouTube video was "Ten Minutes of Wisdom." Well, I'm right in the middle of a bunch of little detail stuff, plus composing another article to post, so I didn't think I'd take the time to watch the video right then. But . . .  I was curious and so I clicked on the link. It was a presentation by a speaker at a college in Abilene, Texas. One of his key points was that grades don't count for all that much, so just deal with them whether in school or career, but don't allow them to control your life. . . READ MORE and I'll give you the link to the YouTube.

Ed's Living Free Simple Plan For A Meaningful and Purpose Driven Life

This morning I read a very interesting post by Trent Hamm in his very popular blog (over one million readers every month) The Simple Dollar. The title of the article is "Building a Meaningful Life from the Bottom Up." The title of the article is a link to the actual article if you'd like to read it yourself.

We live in a world that is so busy and so stressful that most people simply keep going, doing all kinds of things they consider necessary until . . . well, until they stop, because they are too stressed, have run out of time and are just too tired to do anymore. So, they call it a day and start the next day doing the same thing and end the same way, day in and day out, including the weekends. Is there any wonder that most people realize little joy, contentment and fulfillment in their lives? They simply do stuff they automatically accept as necessary and important without determining if it serves any meaningful purpose in their lives. . . READ MORE

Free Man/Woman of the Land

Recently, I was following a thread on an Internet forum started by a fellow who identified himself as Van UK. Since his email address was that of Yahoo UK and what he wrote gave me no reason to believe that he was from anywhere other than the UK, I'll simply call him Van.

In one post by Van he expounded on his philosophy of personal and natural freedom as he spoke of being a "Free Man of the Land." I must say that I relate to Van in his thoughts and ideas. While I may have never thought of it in exactly that term, I completely understood where he was coming from. Somewhere, long ago, growing up in New Jersey, something influenced me to start believing this way. . . READ MORE

Welcome To My World - Six Years Later!

Once a year, around this time, I usually take a look back to see where I am in my world as compared to where I was when I began this adventure of Living Free. It's now about six years from the time I started this blog and five and a half years from when I dove head first into the new world of living free without a fixed home or business location. I have since come to call it being happily houseless and location independent. So, here's my six-year report. The original post (excerpted) from February 2008 is copied below. My updates are in italic bold. The original post begins now . . .  Read More . . .

Wasting Your Life vs. Engaging Your Life

As I do most mornings, this morning I skimmed through several blog posts of those blogs I follow fairly regularly. At the same time, I watch for links to new blogs that I may not have been aware of before. I am always looking for information, ideas and topical issues that, of course, relate to me and my life and journey in some manner. Obviously, there is far too much to read in any given period of time, so I look for things that really strike a chord with me and then I read them in depth and often bookmark them for future reference.

But, as I'm sure you're aware, we live in an age of information and frankly, I believe it's more an age of information overload. I'm humbled by the idea that you're taking your valuable time to read this post right now. This is where today's topic comes into play. Have you ever had the feeling that you are wasting your life? I certainly have. And, if I'm going to be completely honest, I've had this feeling over and over again. I'll slip into a bit of a blue funk and ask myself questions like:

Have I lived up to my parents' (both deceased) expectations?

Have I lived up to my siblings' expectations?

Have I lived up to my offspring's' (if you have any - I do) expectations?

Have I lived up to my friends' expectations?

Have I lived up to professional expectations?

Have I achieved success in life?

Have I achieved my own dreams, goals and personal expectations?

Do I waste time doing unproductive things?

Am I measuring up to society's expectations?

Am I wasting or have I wasted my life?
. . . and the most important question of all (that I forgot and had to be reminded by a reader of this blog, Rob, see his comment below)
Am I HAPPY?

Feel free to add any of your own questions to this list.

This morning I found and read three blog posts, plus a new blog I discovered through Twitter. Two of the posts I read struck a chord with me and the third presented an interesting idea. Here are links to the three posts. One was specifically on Wasting Your Life. I enjoyed Trent's commentary on the subject, especially since he's virtually half my age. The next one was from Lois, a 50 something woman, born with Muscular Dystrophy and who has accomplished a great deal in her lifetime (the MD didn't hold her back) - Everything That's Wrong. The third post was from Trent again and I believe this can be an interesting and excellent exercise for anyone with a question about how good their life really is - TheJar of Life. 

So, here are my thoughts on Wasting Your Life vs. Engaging Your Life.

Expectations

So, why do some of us (if not most of us) harbor thoughts about whether we are wasting our lives? I contend that it's probably because from our earliest memories we have been conditioned to fulfill expectations that have been imposed upon us by external sources. Of course, there are some basic societal expectations we must conform to if we're going to live within whatever society we were born. While human beings are, at our most basic level, members of the animal kingdom, we are far from being the free roaming animals our earliest ancestors were. Now, I know that there are some people who read this blog who prefer to accept the Biblical version of how humans came to be on this planet. While I was raised in a pretty conservative Baptist church in New Jersey, I am more inclined to accept the scientific and historical evolution of our species.

That being said, it is the responsibility of our parents, siblings, extended family, community, educational system and, if we had a religious connection, the religious community to instill us with values, societal standards and an understanding of the kind of behavior that is expected as we grow into full-fledged members of our society. But, that's not all. We are also taught expectations of being productive and responsible members of the society. For the vast majority of the population of most societies, especially in developed countries, the definition of being productive and responsible members of the society translates into possibly obtaining advanced education in some specialized field or discipline, applying whatever education (advanced, technical, occupational or basic) into an income producing career usually through jobs working for someone else, tempering our primal instinct to procreate into a monogamous relationship through a contractual marriage arrangement, bringing forth offspring to perpetuate the species, setting objectives to become stabilized by establishing credit, purchasing property and a home, accumulating, what we believe to be necessities of life, but most often are extraneous wants, working diligently and advancing up some kind of ladder of success and finally, after some 40 to 45 years and being diligent stewards of our earnings, retiring to live out the balance of our lives on this planet in some form of comfort.

Now, let me be perfectly honest. After writing that long paragraph and description of a lifetime, I'm actually very bored. Think about this. Let's use the number 80 as the average lifespan of the average person in the United States. According to the World Health Organization that is the approximate overall average age in the U.S. as of 2013. Eighty years amounts to 701,280 hours. If we establish that the average person will work 45 years at some kind of typical job putting in 8 hours per day plus an additional 2 hours to allow for commuting and lunch/breaks for a total of 10 hours per day 5 days a week we are devoting 112,500 hours to the job. Let's add another 8 hours a day including commuting and homework, five days a week for 14 years (12 years of mandatory education and two years for advanced education or training allowing that not everyone gains a 4 year degree or advanced degrees) for education. This equals approximately 20,160 hours. Let's allow for an average of approximately 7 hours of sleep/rest daily or another 204,540 hours. So, those three activities during our 80-year lifespan will consume approximately 337,200 of our 701,280 hours or approximately 48% of our lifetime.

So, one might be led to say, well, that's great because that leaves about 364,080 hours to do all the things I want to do. However, we have not taken out the necessary time for preparing and consuming meals, shopping for food and other necessities, maintaining our clothing, vehicles, residence (including yard work), periods of illness, extracurricular activities for the offspring and such. That 364,080 number continues to get whittled down. But, this is the life of an average, responsible, productive human being in the U.S. Interestingly, there are something like 32 countries in the world where the average lifespan is anywhere from a couple months longer than the U.S. lifespan to 6.5 years longer. It's another area in which the U.S. is lagging behind.

Wasting Your Life

So, what do you consider wasting your life? Do you feel you didn't meet all the expectations raised by the questions at the beginning of this article? Do you feel like you haven't achieved a large enough or luxurious enough home or you don't have one or more vacation homes? Maybe you haven't been able to acquire all the "Stuff" you feel you should have in order to prove you have not wasted your life. Did you not work enough hours to become the CEO of the company you've devoted years to? Perhaps at the end of the 45-year working plan you can't afford to retire. Maybe you wonder why some people who have taken alternative journeys in life spending their lives doing the things they loved doing, but may not have met with the success that societal expectations place on people.  Perhaps they became artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, inventors, golfers, white water river rafting guides, professional surfers, skiers, crafts people, race car drivers, rodeo riders, actors, circus performers . . . you can add to the list as you are so inclined. Did they waste their lives?

I have often reviewed my life. I have the equivalent of about 17 years of formal education. I volunteered almost four years of my life to the U.S. military. I had a few part-time or summer jobs through high school and college/graduate school. But, starting at age 12 with an independent newspaper route, I have mainly been self-employed. For the majority of my career I worked in excess of 40 hours per week and frequently worked weekends and holidays and seldom took vacations. I created probably a hundred jobs. I did innovative things in the recording, tape duplication, video production and book publishing industries. Not everything I did was successful. Truth be known, probably less than 50% of the things I did were successful. But, all during those years and businesses I was working at meeting someone's expectations including my own. When things didn't go well or I experienced a failure, I felt like I had wasted my life.

It wasn't until I finally realized that a human life is finite. It has an expiration date. I further realized that while there will always be a small number of people who will make huge contributions to society, the vast majority will, in the grand scheme of things, contribute very little. We were not all born with the gifts of Beethoven, Socrates, Shakespeare, Newton, da Vinci, Franklin, Jefferson, Edison, Ford, Gates, Jobs and others. I felt like I was wasting my life when I wasn't contributing something to society that would change the world, as we know it. However, when I did come to the realization that if I could leave the planet just a little bit better than when I found it, my life wasn't wasted. Further, I realized that other than adhering to the basic standards and values of a civil and law-biding member of society, my life didn't have to meet up to anyone else's expectations other than my own. That's when I really began to live free even though I felt I had a living free philosophy most of my life.

I used to feel guilty if I spent too much time reading through other people's blog posts or occasionally glancing through Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn or reading and replying to posts on numerous Internet forums I belong to or watching some favorite TV shows or movies. I felt this was wasting my time. While I was participating in those activities, I wasn't doing something far more important and contributing to saving the world and making it a better place. I've finally grown past that. But, I do ponder what drives people to want to take on extremely demanding jobs, elected offices or sacrifice massive amounts of their finite number of hours when in the end, they will die just as you and I will and revert back to the basic elements from which we came. Personally, the only waste of life I can identify is sacrificing those finite hours either to accumulate stuff, gain status or because of a drive for power over others.

Of course, I don't believe I have the answers for everyone or anyone else's lives. I hold everyone in an equal accord and believe that if you want to buy into the burden of expectations laid on us by others and society, it's entirely their right and choice. But, they shouldn't expect me to respect them because they make those choices and they shouldn't disrespect me because I choose not to live under that burden of expectations. I only regret that I didn't truly realize this, much like Trent has, at age 35. Just remember, it's your life and there are no dress rehearsals. This is it, baby, live and in living color and in real time. Spend your time focusing on whatever feels right to you for your time and life.

Engaging Your Life   

Here's the real approach I believe we should all use in life . . . Engage! What do I mean? Simple. It's your life so what do YOU want from it. If you're doing anything other than engaging in the life you want, THEN and only THEN are you truly wasting your life. If you want to entertain then do it. If you want to be an artist of some kind then do it. If you want to operate your own business of some kind get on with it. If you want to travel and see the country or the world then get cracking. This is where your focus should be. It should not be on doing someone else's bidding or wishing or whining about . . . you'd do it, but.

It's important to know and accept that in some ways you can have your cake and eat it, too. But, in other cases, that's not going to happen. If you're tied down to a house or property that is a burden, then eliminate it. If you have a job that demands massive amounts of your time and leaves you both drained and unmotivated, it's time to move on. Don't let the excuse of "the money is too good" or I have to have this much money to get by. Remember, you can't take any of that money with you when your life clock runs out and very few of us know when that's going happen. Figure out what you REALLY need to engage in the life you want and stop wasting your life with excuses and doing others' bidding.

I had a client one-time right after I completed my second college degree. I was running my business part of the time and teaching part of the time at a local community college at that point in my life. He asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I said I wanted to be in business for myself, but I needed the income and I was thinking of taking a full-time job. He told me the chances are if I take a full-time job, I will spend the rest of my life in the false security of the full-time job and the paycheck that came with it. I'd probably never truly pursue my own dream of working for myself full-time and when I finally reached retirement age, my business would still be a part-time business and I would have missed numerous avenues of opportunity. He was right! Another man I met at that time told me, "You make your own breaks in life. No one will make your breaks for you. If you want something make your break and go after it." He was right, too.

I just reached my 69th year. It is the commencement of my 70th year on this planet. According to what I said earlier, the World Health Organization projects ten more years for me to enjoy this journey (actually a couple years less because I'm a male). Now, I'm hoping and I'm planning on being one of those who lives to the high side of that average number. So, I may be around for another 15 or 20 years, maybe more. But, I can't count on that. So, my plan is not to focus on how I may have wasted my life. My plan is to engage in all I can in life. I've come to realize that nothing I have done to date was a waste of my life; it is history and what I did at that time. If I want to find a beautiful spot on a beach or a mountaintop and read blog posts or write blog posts or I want to watch a favorite TV show or movie or chat with a friend on the phone, I will so engage. Money be damned. I will live, love and laugh until my journey ends.

My long time friend, Dave Yoho, a man who grew up in a ghetto in Philadelphia and became a self-made millionaire by 30, sent this inscription in a birthday card, "How fortunate are we to live in a time when we have opportunities to express ourselves Creatively, to follow our own Drummer and to Experience Life in a manner of our own choosing. So it is . . . Enjoy/Savor Each Moment." I pass that on to you. 

Enlightened Perspectives - Something A Little Different

A friend of mine forwarded the following perspectives to me the other day. Like you, I'm sure; I get a lot of these forwarded emails claiming some person of some significant celebrity had authored the great words of wisdom. It might be George Carlin or Bill Cosby or Mother Teresa, you know what I mean. In this case, the late Andy Rooney, the former 60 Minutes news magazine commentator who closed the show for 30+ years with his pithy insights into life.

Well, I've long ago learned that most of the stuff that is attributed to these folks was never written or uttered by them. Actually, the words they are credited with are often not even in context to who they actually were. But, we read them and perhaps, feel a little better. I did my research and sure enough, just as I had suspected, Andy Rooney was not the author of these "enlightened perspectives." In fact, they've possibly been the accumulated perspectives of several individuals, all unnamed. I guess they could be attributed to that well-known author Anonymous.

However, despite the fact that our dear, departed friend, Andy, is not the author, I still found them to be - as the email subject titled them, "Enlightened Perspectives." As I approach the end of my 7th decade of experiential existence on this planet, I found that they agreed with my own perspectives, especially as I was enjoying the relaxation and ambiance of the Paradise I had been enjoying for well over a week. So, maybe you've seen these before, maybe not, but I present them to you, have added a few to the list and take credit for authoring them since they pretty well express my attitudes and perspectives about this blessing we call life. I hope there is something meaningful, reassuring or enlightening here for you.

Enlightened Perspectives

Take the time to read these. You'll come away with an enlightened perspective. The subjects covered affect us all on a daily basis:

They're written by Anonymous or Andy Rooney or Ed Helvey, I'm not sure it really matters.

I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with him or her.

I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned.... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

I've learned.... That no matter what it is you plan, it will always take longer than you planned.

I've learned.... That no matter how much you budget for something, it will always cost more.

I've learned.... That once you buy something from the least expensive source, there will always be someone cheaper.

I've learned.... That life is short and goes by fast, follow your dreams and live them NOW.

I've learned.... That what you don't know can hurt you, so never stop being inquisitive and learning new things.

I've learned.... That you should pay someone else to do the things you don't enjoy doing or are not good at, both parties benefit.

Final Words

So, there you have them "My Enlightened Perspectives" and now they are yours to do with as you will. You can embrace them and share them, use my name or Andy Rooney's or your own name. A gift once given is yours to do with as you please. I hope these platitudes will raise your attitudes . . . for today and the rest of your life. Life is too short to miss all the beauty, joy, happiness and grace that is ours to enjoy and embrace. Have a fantastic day wherever you are and smile at everyone you encounter, it's infectious. 

Adventures in Paradise

Some readers of this blog may remember an old TV series that went by that title. It aired from 1959 until 1962 and was created by James Michener. It took place in the South Pacific. Well, my Adventure in Paradise, while not quite up to Adam Troy's, the protagonist of the series, adventures, mine was unexpected and fun. But, let me roll back to what led up to the adventure.

A week and a half or so ago I received an email from Lois Miller of the Lois and John Miller family from Hudson, Florida. Lois and John were familiar with yours truly through my ramblings in this blog and also my posts on various RV and Vandwelling Yahoo Forums. Coincidentally, Lois and John are charter members of an online Web service called BoondockersWelcome.com . . . as am I.

Boondockers, for those of you who may not be familiar with the term in reference to RVing or Vandwelling, is when said RVers or Vandwellers choose to find locations to park and spend one or more days/nights in other than commercial RV campgrounds, parks and resorts where they have access to full hook-ups of shore power (electricity), water, sewer and often cable TV and even wifi. In essence, having all the conveniences of home. Boondockers find places that range from free (or very low fee) national, state or county parks, desert lands, national forests, Bureau of Land Management land, Corps of Engineers land, Walmart, Camping World, Flying J and similar parking lots and driveways, side yards, back yards and the lower (or upper) 40 of private property where they have been invited to stay. They are usually self-contained (no hook-ups) though sometimes they are fortunate to have partial hook-ups and some form of bathroom facility.

The Invitation

So, back to John and Lois. This delightful couple invited me to spend a couple days parked on their four acres in a more rural section of Hudson with electric and water available. So, who could refuse? This was a chance to meet two more interesting people (especially people who read my blog - he says with a bit of ego unabashedly exposed) in a nice area of Florida, not far from the Gulf of Mexico and with electric and water available. Also, they are RVers and have their, beautiful 40' diesel pusher, motorhome parked on its pad next to their home. So, I replied to Lois, thanked her for her invitation and told her I would take her up on it. I arrived late this past Saturday afternoon, enjoyed some pleasant discussion on their patio and met John's sister, Cecelia, who was visiting. It had been rather cool and rainy, but right after I arrived the clouds parted, the sun shown brightly and the temperature began to slowly rise. We retired for the evening, them to their house and me to My McVansion for a restful night of sleep.

Sunday was a beautiful day, sunny and moderate 70's temperatures. I caught up on some email and just generally enjoyed a very nice day. I also posted my Photo of the Week and made a Walmart run to gather a few provisions. Lois invited me to use the washer and dryer and I did and emptied the dirty clothes hamper and got all the nice, clean clothes folded and stored away in their assigned clean clothes storage locations.

Monday morning arrived and Lois texted me wanting to know if I'd like to visit one of the local Florida Water Management District Wilderness areas where the State of Florida offered free camping to the public (with an easily obtained permit). I was familiar with the existence of said properties and locations because Marshall Ellgas (who I haven't written about, yet, but will in an upcoming post) had posted a nice guest blog post on Bob Well's "CheapRVLiving" blog about this very subject. Additionally, when I visited with Marshall and Allison (right here in Hudson, Florida on the other side of Rt. 19 and a few miles further south), he reminded me of these locations throughout the state and forwarded me detailed information by email, which I had been looking over.

Well, what better opportunity to inspect one of these locations than with my own personal Floridian tour guides.

The Adventure 

 So, we packed into John and Lois's, clean, white (that's significant) Ford Ranger 4x4 pick-up truck with me in one of the jump seats behind the passenger's seat and off we went. The drive to this preserve was only about ten or fifteen minutes on the outside. John had the code for the gate lock to gain access and in we went. First, we went to the equestrian camping area. The area was mainly set up for folks who brought their horses and camped, typically on weekends from what Lois said, a horse person herself. As you can see from the photos, it was nicely arranged with numerous camp sites, some shelters with picnic tables, charcoal grills, a fire ring a well and unique horse trough and a pit toilet facility (not pictured though it was modern and very nice).

When not inhabited by folks with their horses, it's a dandy place for vandwellers to have what they call "get togethers" to meet up, get to know one another and hang out. As I said, there are locations like this, many locations, throughout all areas of Florida. They are primarily wetland areas to provide guaranteed water resources for the cities of Florida. This particular location, the Starkey Wilderness Preserve, provides some of the water for the Tampa, Florida area. But, it also provides the public with picnicking, hiking, biking, horse trails, camping and fishing in a natural, wilderness setting.

So, after we left the campsite, we passed the primitive camping area for those who want to tent camp. It was also nice, but smaller and more compact than the equestrian camping location. But, now we were basically following trails (in the clean, white Ford Ranger pick-up truck) that were not actually designed for motor vehicles although the state employees charged with maintaining the preserve traversed these trails in 4x4 vehicles, I'm sure. So, what we faced were sand hazards (areas of loose, very fine sand), water hazards (areas of standing water with no indication of the actual depth) and mud hazards (typically water hazards that had dried up - a little bit). All of these hazards, while not looking particularly ominous, were threats to forward mobility.

We were in search of a small lake well into the interior of this 3,000-acre preserve. Lois and John and been there once before. So, we navigate around and through the various hazards and ultimately, with the aid of a preserve map and GPS, found our objective. It was, again, quiet, peaceful, beautiful and relaxing. I caught some photos of two adult Sandhill Cranes. We walked out on the fishing dock and checked out the lily pads, the minnows that were plentiful in the shallow water by the dock and the occasional larger fish who would surface to catch an unsuspecting morsel resting on the surface of the water. I also captured a photo of the remains of a chimney that had once belonged to a house near this lake when this land was part of a ranch and nursery a long time ago.

But, alas, we determined that it was time to return to civilization. So, back into the clean, white Ford Ranger 4x4 pick-up truck to face the challenges of those numerous hazards between civilization and us. John was at the wheel as he was driving in to the lake. He was a master at avoiding or navigating through the hazards. We knew we needed to reach a more solid packed road that ran along a series of high tension power line towers - the only indication of civilization in most of this preserve. The road served as the way for the power company workers to access the towers for maintenance. We spotted the towers over the top of the trees and knew we were heading in the right direction.

Danger ahead!

At last, dead ahead of us we saw our solid packed road. John gave it the gas as we went through one more small sand hazard. But, there, all of a sudden, loomed in front of us a large water hazard that was right up to the edge of the road and the closer we got to it the larger that water hazard got. There was no way to know how deep it was. John gave it the gun and Lois yelled "Stop, John, we'll never make it through that water!" John slammed on the brakes and we went sliding on mud to just a few feet from the water. Indeed, there was no way to know how deep the water might be, since we couldn't see the bottom through the water. It's likely it would have been well over the rocker panels of the clean, white, Ford Ranger 4x4 pick-up truck.

But, alas, when we opened the doors and stepped out, we realized that we had inadvertently been lured into a mud hazard and, yes . . . we were stuck. And then the fun began.

There was no real consideration of going forward because, even if we did know how deep the water actually was, there was no way to gain any momentum. So, our only course of action was to retreat to the rear. BUT, we were stuck in the mud and all the wheels on the clean, white, Ford Ranger 4x4 pick-up truck wanted to do was to spin and throw mud everywhere, especially all over the formerly clean, white, Ford Ranger, 4x4 pick-up truck. And, of course, we each collected some of that black mud on our shoes, clothes and hands.

We all started gathering branches, rocks, some broken pieces of concrete and cramming them under the tires to provide something for the truck to gain some traction on. Lois drove and John and I pushed. It was a slow process. We moved only inches at a time, but needed to go back about 15 or 20 feet to be assured of some solid ground. I knew we'd eventually get out of the situation, but I did become a little concerned when I saw a bunch of buzzards and vultures begin circling overhead. Hm, I thought, could this be my demise, to become a lunch for a bunch of vultures here in Paradise, only several thousand yards from civilization? Naw! I just made that up for dramatic effect.

It probably took the better part of an hour to slowly move the truck back until I came up with a stroke of genius - turn off the four wheel drive and just go to the normal two wheel drive, what do we have to lose? I have no idea if my two wheel drive idea had anything to do with it, but as Lois piloted the now filthy formerly, clean white, Ford Ranger 4x4 pick-up truck, John and I stood in the slippery mud and gave it the old heave-ho one more time. Viola! As if by some miracle, the truck pulled out of the mud and Lois took it back about 100 feet from our former trap. John and I looked at one another and smiled. Success! The vultures and buzzards dejectedly departed. We were free again and ready to find the next best route (hopefully the one we came in through) back to civilization. We did find that route and proceeded to return to civilization and a pleasant afternoon to recover from our Adventure in Paradise. We celebrated our adventure with a little beer and a nice, large meat lover's pizza at a local pizzeria later in the evening.

Thank you, Lois and John for being such gracious hosts and for taking me on the Miller Adventure Tour to Paradise right there in Hudson, Florida. You have added your wonderful mark to my trek through the (sometimes) Sunshine State.