Thought Sparks

Still a little over a year away, but it’s starting to hit me, I’m heading towards the big 4-0. There are meme’s about getting goals, unusual facts about oneself and so on. I guess in usual fashion I’m taking a different spin and concatenating those concepts into one post. I figure, hey a little narcissistic, self-reflective, navel gazing is good for the soul every once in a while. Life is a trip, quite literally. We start with eyes filled with wonder and end wondering where the time went. Since I’m hitting the half-way mark, I’m taking a look at what has been and what might be.

What Has Been

At sixteen I was playing the guitar, seventeen I dropped into college, took a four year hiatus to live in California with organic farmers, work with special needs children, served in a church, learned a bit of Spanish, served in giving humanitarian aid to people in Nicaragua and headed back to Texas to learn professional landscaping. I met my soon to be beautiful wife, worked as a chef in a gourmet kitchen and finished my degree in history from the University of Texas a week before my first daughter was born. Later with two kiddos in tow we headed off to Turkey learning the language and giving a go at a web design office. Returned to Texas, learned a few things, headed to Austin and entered life in higher-ed as a webmaster. Gained experience, lost my dad to cancer, gained a third daughter, gained a few pounds, lost some hair…gains and loses seems to be a theme. Worked as a techie, director, system admin, freelance designer and flash dude. I Bought a house in the country that now is the burbs, took a job at a great company a couple miles away and realized I don’t like travelling unless it involves a passport or the open road across America. Now I’m helping to start a church, raise our kids, gardening, blogging, still playing the guitar and trying to take life one day at a time. As a Techie looking at 40, how did I get here already and what could be next…

What Might Be

Maybe I’ll work a few years, get the right idea, start a business and become very wealthy by 45. By 50 money concerns will be minimal as we’ll invest well, pay off our little abode and sock some money away for the kiddos college, weddings, first car… The right property will come along, perhaps a vineyard where we’ll produce the best darn wine in the Texas hill country, raise olives, fruit, animals and host folks who travel from afar. We’ll travel ourselves to the orient and summer along the southern coast of Turkey. Our kids may live who knows where so we’ll bop around seeing them and playing with grandkids. Another great idea will develop, a second major venture will ensue and I’ll plow back into a business for a few more choice years. The business will be wildly successful and I’ll sell it off ending our concern for funds all together. We’ll give more to our kids, more to our church and start philantropic efforts that touch peoples lives. My wife and I will grow old together and enjoy long walks in land we occupy. We’ll end our days with a smile on our faces, a heart of thankfulness to God for good days, and the blessing of giving more than we received.