This is also my answer. But believe it or not - it wasn't an all bad thing. I loved my dad so the loss was hard to take. I had a great 10 years of being the youngest child in a upper middle class family. We took family vacations and ate out at nice restaurants fairly often and I had everything a kid could need and most of what a kid could want. Then one day that all changes. My older siblings move out of the house within a few years and it is just me and my mom on our own and living a fairly frugal lifestyle. The good things that came out of that were mostly just me realizing how great I had it and wanting to experience that type of life again. I have a great family of my own now and because both my wife and I work at decent paying jobs - our kids are able to have the same advantages I had for the first ten years of my life. Now when things are tough at work or home I realize how lucky I am and things don't bother me as much. Today I get to experience with my family all the things that I had and lost earlier in life. And I think I appreciate my family more and am a better husband and dad because I had experienced such a great family lifestyle and then had it all taken away from me.
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- Thread starter Mtowncyclone13
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This is also my answer. But believe it or not - it wasn't an all bad thing. I loved my dad so the loss was hard to take. I had a great 10 years of being the youngest child in a upper middle class family. We took family vacations and ate out at nice restaurants fairly often and I had everything a kid could need and most of what a kid could want. Then one day that all changes. My older siblings move out of the house within a few years and it is just me and my mom on our own and living a fairly frugal lifestyle. The good things that came out of that were mostly just me realizing how great I had it and wanting to experience that type of life again. I have a great family of my own now and because both my wife and I work at decent paying jobs - our kids are able to have the same advantages I had for the first ten years of my life. Now when things are tough at work or home I realize how lucky I am and things don't bother me as much. Today I get to experience with my family all the things that I had and lost earlier in life. And I think I appreciate my family more and am a better husband and dad because I had experienced such a great family lifestyle and then had it all taken away from me.
It happened on a cold February morning in 1955. I was born a dumb white child in northeast Iowa. Been nothing but better ever since. As Warren Buffett likes to say I won the birth lottery. A lot of other wonderful human beings could share in my opportunity as far as I am concerned. Only thing stopping it from happening to them, is our governments blindness to seeing the glass is less than half full.
Wow! Don't think I've had any one person have that much influence in my life. I hope you have let her know what she did for you.
I got incredibly stoned at a party my freshman year, I hid behind every tree running across campus thinking the cops were after me. I even swam across lake Laverne to mask my scent. After that night I gave up the mary jane and became the success I am today. A close number two would be marrying my wife and the birth of my 4 kids.
couldn't agree more....just a fantastic guy, both as a doctor and a person..
We had a child born with serious medical issues (unknown until birth). Everything we have gone through with her gives us perspective on issues big and small. I used to be on mommy message boards when my kids were young and moms would freak out over having to give their baby Tylenol or worried about the radiation from x-rays at the dentist. I had seen my baby become "addicted" to morphine and go through withdrawal--Tylenol is nothing. And she had multiple x-rays a day from birth through the first few weeks of life and has had multiple CT scans--she has been exposed to serious radiation.
It has also given me perspective on things could be much worse. There are so many childhood conditions and diseases that are so cruel.
It has also given me perspective on things could be much worse. There are so many childhood conditions and diseases that are so cruel.
My successful battle with drug addiction many years ago and a more recently a miscarriage.
oh yea.....and my corgi, he changed my life for sure!
oh yea.....and my corgi, he changed my life for sure!
My successful battle with drug addiction many years ago and a more recently a miscarriage.
oh yea.....and my corgi, he changed my life for sure!
Agree with the corgi part.
About 6 years ago I moved back to Cedar Rapids from Ames. While it wasn't all great, I wouldn't change it. I am now a successful self employed trim carpenter which I wouldn't of been had I not moved. Doing something you truely enjoy completely changes your everyday life.
I always say it's not the good times in life that make a person, but the bad. You always see a persons true character when those things happen. Good for you and glad you appreciate what you have. Not enough people do.
Talking to a priest from Seton Hall at a college fair. I was going to go to college for engineering but he said that based on my interest maybe I'd like international relations or diplomacy. I realized that while engineering sounded cool, I really didn't enjoy math and science all that much. That led to me going to a small liberal arts school and now being in law school.
I'd have to say losing a really "good" job, I hated it but stuck with it because it paid really well, had good benefits, looked good on a resume etc...all the wrong reasons for a single guy in his 20's to stay in a job. I was too dependent on the money to quit. After a couple years of going through the motions, being miserable, using a lot of negative habits to deal with being miserable and frustrated, I was let go. I was unemployed for almost a year, over that year I kind of reevaluated my life and figured out where my priorities were.
Fast forward 5 years, I'm insanely happily married, I'm in a job I love, for a company I love, we just purchased an acreage where we plan to build our dream home and start a family....life is good. Looking back I didn't have the guts to leave that awful job, if I hadn't been fired, who knows where my life would have ended up. That gave me the nudge I needed. I've since thanked the boss who fired me, she did me the biggest favor of my life.
Fast forward 5 years, I'm insanely happily married, I'm in a job I love, for a company I love, we just purchased an acreage where we plan to build our dream home and start a family....life is good. Looking back I didn't have the guts to leave that awful job, if I hadn't been fired, who knows where my life would have ended up. That gave me the nudge I needed. I've since thanked the boss who fired me, she did me the biggest favor of my life.
While touring a science museum with my class I was bitten by a spider that had accidentally been irradiated...
Yes a few times, but it's hard to express the enormity. More than anything, she was happy that I went to grad school.
She became my advisor mostly by a strange twist. Makes me remember that no matter what work I put into things, luck is an ingredient that is essential.
She had an influence earlier too. After my first semester at Iowa's best university, I wanted to change majors. I told her, and she said, "too tough for you, huh?" She wasn't mean about it. It was just very matter of fact. Well, it stung and kind of ticked me off. Basically after that, I decided to heck with it and stuck it out.
I suppose THAT could have been the point that actually had the most profound effect on the course of my life.
Fair enough. My dad was a boxer. One day I saved this kid in an accident but some chemicals spashed into my eyes....
There are probably 3 events that have really changed my life.
1. Meeting my wife. My biggest supporter and best friend. I'm luckier than I should be.
2. Getting involved in a research project as an undergraduate. I would not be in the position I am currently without that decision. It led to a publication, then grad school, more publications, and current career track in academia. I was originally trying to get employed at Mayo Clinic working in a lab, but I like the current track my life is on. Much more entertaining.
3. My parents signing me up for scouting. I use many of the skill sets I learned there everyday.
1. Meeting my wife. My biggest supporter and best friend. I'm luckier than I should be.
2. Getting involved in a research project as an undergraduate. I would not be in the position I am currently without that decision. It led to a publication, then grad school, more publications, and current career track in academia. I was originally trying to get employed at Mayo Clinic working in a lab, but I like the current track my life is on. Much more entertaining.
3. My parents signing me up for scouting. I use many of the skill sets I learned there everyday.
I suppose ISU as a whole. But the class where I ended up meeting my future wife. We didn't start dating for 2 or 3 years later, but I wouldn't be where I am or how I am without her. Wouldn't have my daughter or any of that.
I've mentioned it around here a few times in various topics, but probably the head, neck, and upper back injury I had a few years ago. Luckily no lasting "physical" injury, but some cognitive and psychological issues still linger. Gave me new perspectives on life in general.
Not directly an event that involved me, but another would be when my older brother got married six years ago and his bat**** crazy wife has basically cut off most contact between us. I only met her once or twice before the wedding and immediately knew something was off, because he's so freaking different around us (family) when she's not around, on the handful I've times we've visited since they met. We went to ISU at the same time, talked every day for the five years we were there and really "caught up"; he was out of high school before I was out of elementary school and he went straight into the military for several years. And then it just....stopped. Returns maybe 1 out of 30 texts/emails/calls, and hasn't initiated one in years (maybe getting the joint e-mail address and his deleting all social media "because she wants me to" should've been red flags?). Most recently, I just found out through a mutual friend that his wife is pregnant (would be my first niece or nephew)...and far enough along to know the sex of the baby. I thought about calling or texting to say Congrats, but am holding out a little hope that maybe he'll tell me on his own. It's been five weeks since I found out from a friend
. He did tell our Mom but IDK if he's told our Dad b/c that relationship has been iffy as well. (Mom & Dad are divorced and don't talk). /LifeStory
Not directly an event that involved me, but another would be when my older brother got married six years ago and his bat**** crazy wife has basically cut off most contact between us. I only met her once or twice before the wedding and immediately knew something was off, because he's so freaking different around us (family) when she's not around, on the handful I've times we've visited since they met. We went to ISU at the same time, talked every day for the five years we were there and really "caught up"; he was out of high school before I was out of elementary school and he went straight into the military for several years. And then it just....stopped. Returns maybe 1 out of 30 texts/emails/calls, and hasn't initiated one in years (maybe getting the joint e-mail address and his deleting all social media "because she wants me to" should've been red flags?). Most recently, I just found out through a mutual friend that his wife is pregnant (would be my first niece or nephew)...and far enough along to know the sex of the baby. I thought about calling or texting to say Congrats, but am holding out a little hope that maybe he'll tell me on his own. It's been five weeks since I found out from a friend
. He did tell our Mom but IDK if he's told our Dad b/c that relationship has been iffy as well. (Mom & Dad are divorced and don't talk). /LifeStory
