One of the main reasons I want to write a blog is to have a record of things I have experienced in my life. I am not seized with the notion that there is a big market for my memoirs, but I want to do it for my own benefit if nothing else. I think my path to get where I am in life is at least a little unusual and worth at least a brief mention.
I am the youngest of four children. I have two siblings who are 25 and 20 years older than I, and another sibling who is 4 years older. My parents were married in 1931, so they raised my older brother and sister during the depression. My sister and I grew up in the 60s and 70s. I think it is noteworthy that my parents raised two children in the midst of the depression and two children in the craziness of the sixties. They were married for over 70 years before my dad passed away at age 92.
I was not a great student in high school. I took the easiest classes available and got exactly the number of credits required for graduation. I finished in the exact middle of my class of 33, with 16 ahead and 16 behind me. I had the notion that I couldn’t do math and that I had to have algebra to go to college, so I basically just quit trying. My mother, who I loved dearly, was, unfortunately, an enabler. She would console me, for instance, about my lack of prowess in math, by saying, that was too bad, that she wasn’t good at math either, etc. I would have been much better served with a good kick in the rear and an admonition to try harder. I turned out to be fairly good at math, as I earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering when I finally returned to school at age 26.
I had a bad motorcycle accident the summer after high school. It changed my life. I had always enjoyed sports and being active. I wasn’t necessarily a great athlete, but I was good enough to enjoy playing. After the wreck, while I could still play some sports (such as tennis), it was quite painful and I couldn’t play very well. Nonetheless, I played tennis and racquetball until I about 30. By then it was just too painful to enjoy.
After I recovered from the wreck, I had a brief go at college, then did odd jobs for a while. Almost three years after finishing high school I got a job loading trucks and learned how to drive an 18 wheeler. A little over a year later, I started driving full time. This was a huge challenge and forced me to stretch myself more than I thought possible. I liked driving a truck and in many ways, I think I could have been happy making a career of it, but that turned out to not be the path I would follow.
I drove for about 5 years. I was laid off my last full-time driving job and I decided to go back to college. I looked for a degree which would allow me to make a good living. I finally decided on Mechanical Engineering. Why I thought I could do this given my background in math is not really clear to me even to this day. But I made the decision, backed my ears and took the challenge on.
I ended up in a great living situation with two roommates who were senior engineering students. They helped me get started with good study habits and were able to help me with some of the challenges of my early classes. In addition, we were able to live quite cheaply which was another big plus.
I was able to earn money driving a truck during the summers and occasionally on holidays, which was primarily how I paid my way through. I only had to take out one student loan. I didn’t borrow any money from my parents until my two final semesters which I used to pay for housing. By then, I knew I was going to make it and felt more comfortable with the idea. I paid them back with interest for those loans, which were much appreciated.
The trip from high school flunkie to truck driver to college graduate is one I am quite proud of. It took me a long time to realize that I was capable of doing so much more than I would ever have imagined, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
rhogskin 