Interest or not

Category: A story to tell

  • I’m very glad that Barack Obama was POTUS for eight consecutive years. The fact goes to show that Americans can and do show humanity. While before Obama was president there were many successful Black Americans in business, with US Government careers and in entertainment it was Obama who rose to the highest office in the nation. For the first time an official representing the Black minority led the country. Before Obama was POTUS there was more intimidation minorities experienced when it came to leadership roles in the US Government and business. Black entertainers have had a solid foothold in American culture for many generations but the farther you look back in history, Black people and people of many other minorities working in entertainment were subjugated to smaller roles and reduced pay and often received roles that portrayed the individual as uneducated and unintelligent.

     I am Generation X and grew up learning how Martin Luther King united Americans around US and was a humanitarian leader people around the world celebrated. MLK is no longer with us. MLK has been no longer with us for many years. It was good news for Americans and for humanity when Barack Obama was elected POTUS. Barack Obama became not only a leader of Black people but a leader of Americans and a global leader for humanity. America and US has done a lot of healing since Obama’s Presidency from 2008-2016. For the first time minorities around US looked to a leader that represented everyone.

    While there were many Americans and US Citizens who did not vote for Obama and did not want him to be POTUS and were discouraged with Obama leading US and America, more US Citizens voted for him and were glad he was leading the country. Power struggles are part of life. There are always people and groups and individuals trying to have the most power and control. That is human nature and that is an aspect of humanity.

     The current POTUS Donald Trump is unique and original like every POTUS throughout history. Donald Trump leads Americans and the US and appeals more to white people. White people are the cultural majority in United States. Having a white American as POTUS is not new. Every POTUS throughout US history was white accept Obama. More and more over time white US Citizens make up less of the population.

     I grew up in a predominately white community in US. That was normal to me. At 26 I moved to Los Angeles California where I experienced for the first time living in a very culturally diverse city. I was excited, and I was challenged. It was challenging to be around and meet people from different cultures most of the time. White people are a minority in Los Angeles. I was not used to residing in the community as a minority and living as a minority when I was in public. Deep down inside I felt threatened. I felt threatened that most of the people I saw and met skin color was darker than mine. I felt uncomfortable when I passed through a largely gay neighborhood.

    In truth what I perceived as threats were not threats at all and were challenges of living in a community new to me and very different than where I am from and very far away from the community I was born into. I moved far away from Los Angeles since and am grateful for the challenges I experienced living in Southern California. Overcoming challenges makes an individual stronger. While living in a culturally diverse community could present challenges for people from smaller communities with less diversity, cities are a part of life on Earth and civilization as we know it. Cities tend to be more culturally diverse than towns.

     I would not trade my past living in the city for the world. Living in the city has to do with who I am today. Moving far away from where you were brought up is challenging for everyone who embarks on the adventure. Every adventure does not end in success. What’s normal in one place is considered strange and unheard of in another place. The financially wealthiest people on Earth are challenged when moving to live and reside in a community far away from where they were brought up. Many people never move far from where they were brought up. Often when someone moves away into a community that is new to them it is for a work opportunity that did not exist where they are from.

     Other times the reason to move is greater than a new work opportunity. The reason to move might involve romance, adventure, being in a new place and meeting people in a community beyond the same faces and places where a person is brought up. Be careful out there.

  • I recently went to an appointment I scheduled at the local US Post Office where I applied for a Passport. I brought my application already filled out. The meeting went well and the employee I met asked me if I had any questions. I did not. He also asked me if I am a US Citizen. I confirmed that I am a US Citizen. That was it. He kept my birth certificate which will be mailed to me when my application is done being processed. I was done with my meeting within 10 minutes.

    The first time I applied for a Passport was exciting. I was in my early 20’s and preparing to travel to islands in the Caribbean and French West Indies. Since then my Passport expired and I legally changed my name. I received an email from the US Passport Agency stating that they need more information from me. I need to provide my certified legal change of name document to complete my application. Since my last Passport expired I became homeless and lost all my possessions other than the clothes I wore and a backpack of supplies for living outdoors. I lost the documentation I received from the Court when my legal change of name was finalized. Since then I’ve got back into stable and secure housing thank God and thanks to the support of many professional men and women at work helping troubled Americans every day of the year.

    I was relieved when I called the Clerk of Court in the County where I was living when I changed my name for a record request and learned that I could fill out the record request at their website. It took less than five minutes to fill out the record request and only charged me $20 for a certified copy of my legal change of name decree issued by the Judge who granted me my name change.

    I was also relieved to learn that I should receive the documentation within one week. I don’t currently have plans to travel internationally although I want to be ready to travel. My Passport application might take as long as 90 days to process because I didn’t ask for it to be expedited. That’s fine by me.

    When I was younger I traveled to Mexico and to Canada and only needed my Gov issued photo ID card to cross those international borders. Times have changed and my current Drivers License is not Real ID certified. New Passports are Real ID certified so I’ll be able to use it to fly domestically and internationally.

    I flew last year before the Real ID policy was in effect and was able to fly domestically using my Drivers License. Like I said, times have changed. Gov issued Real ID have improved security features and tie a person to their digital identity, online habits, online behavior and biometrics. I think this is good business and will improve safety for generations to come.

    I love to travel and I love to fly. Although flying can be somewhat nerve racking I’ve always arrived safe and sound at my intended destination. I’m fortunate that most of my flights were on schedule. And flights I’ve taken that were delayed did not take too long. Once when I was flying home from Costa Rica to Denver I flew into Miami where my connecting flight to Denver was delayed for over 10 hours. The airline paid for a Hotel room for me for the night and drove me to the Hotel. It was a fancy Hotel near a pier off the Atlantic Coast. The next morning I took a taxi cab to the Airport and my connecting flight to Denver departed on schedule. All’s well that ends well.

    The scariest flight I took was from Alamosa Colorado to Denver’s Stapleton Airport on a winter day sometime in the late 1980’s. The airplane was small and held maybe one dozen passengers. When there was turbulence the airplane altitude seemed to raise and dip a lot. We landed safe and sound at Stapleton Airport and that’s what’s most important.

    Here’s to many more safe travels! Well planned vacations! Safe roadways, safe railroads, safe waterways and friendly skies. Wishing safe travels to you and your loved ones.

    Jason A. Greenwood

  • I’m scared to talk to people. It’s a fear. I don’t often make small talk. I don’t chat with people I meet usually. I’m polite and appropriate when speaking with people I meet. At work I usually have little to share in a conversation and few words to add to topics of discussion. My work is manual labor and while communicating clearly is very important, verbal communication is limited in nature where I work. I’m not a boss, a supervisor and I don’t lead a team of workers. Other workers don’t usually look to me with most work related questions.

    I would like to be more talkative when I meet people. Almost every day I come in contact with people whether it is at work or shopping paying for products. Communication comes natural to me with people I know. People I know and care about are the individuals I speak to most. My family live very far away and when we speak it is usually over a phone call. I meet with a therapist regularly and speak to her in volumes and in depth conversations. The community I live in is new to me. I’m not from here. I live here for nearly nine years. I’ve met many people at work, though my temp to hire work makes opportunities to build relations with the same co-workers limited.

    I consider myself to be serious in most situations. I am a realist. I do offer light hearted comments to people that are more about sharing the moment than conveying a serious attitude. When I say something funny I make a point to convey that it is a joke and not to be considered too seriously. I’ve met many people while volunteering in the community. I’ve been active in many conversations with other volunteers and people in the community I’ve met while volunteering.

    I speak to my neighbors often. Speaking to neighbors is a good way to pass the time with people who have similar interests.

    speaking to a stranger is a challenge. Sometimes I’ll say hello to a stranger on the same path as me when I’m walking in public. There are challenges in life and life is worth living. Many challenges involve limited physical requirements. Speaking challenges require my voice and breath and lungs and mouth and jaw and lips and tongue. My body is strong and in good health. I have strong lungs. I move my mouth and lips and tongue and jaw with ease from moment to moment. Challenges meeting individuals who are new to me I’ve never met, and come in contact with for the first time are worth having.

    There is no reason to speak to most people I come in contact with in public. People I come in direct contact with happen most of the time when I’m walking in public, most often in a store or at a cafe.

    Meeting a person who is new to me for the first time I experience almost every day. This is often when I’m buying a product in a store from a person at work at a cash register. I enjoy the exchange of purchasing products and services on sale face to face in person with my money handing over to individuals at work.

    When I have the choice to pay for products at self checkout or with an individual working with a cash register nine out of ten times I make my purchase with the person. I enjoy the opportunity to look into someone’s eyes and watch their facial expression and listen to their voice while I speak to the person, in person.

    I like living in society apposed to living in solitude. I like living around people. I like seeing people every day in public. I want to instigate more conversations more often with strangers when I shop. Not just to the person at work with a cash register, also to persons shopping at the same time as me.

  • Things sometimes taken for granted

    I just turned on the heat in my home for the first time this Fall. After adjusting the thermostat to the desired temperature heat began flowing through the floor vents within two minutes where air conditioning flowed in the summer. I am so grateful and fortunate to have a home. It’s an apartment and I lease it. I was homeless for six years of my adult life. Most nights of those six years homeless I slept outside under the stars. I knew many cold nights. Cold snowy, icy winter Colorado nights. Nights where I kept moving to stave off the cold, stopping just long enough to rest and then walking through the night to keep from freezing to death until a bus station opened or a cafe when I could afford a cup of coffee. Some of those nights I was welcomed into warming centers for the homeless. Some nights I had a cot reserved in a homeless shelter. Some of those nights a Church and a Synagogue opened their doors as warming centers for homeless people where I stayed. Without the volunteers and donations that afforded me shelter on some of the coldest nights I would not be alive. Volunteers providing free health care and free meals helped to keep me alive and pushing through while I was homeless.

    I had stopped taking my prescribed medication for schizophrenia several years before my debilitated mental health forced me from the home I rented, onto the streets. While I was homeless I didn’t take medication. My refusal to take medication was a major contributing factor why I was homeless for six years.

    I lost all my belongings while I was homeless other than the clothes I wore and a backpack with supplies for living outside.

    Since then I started over. I was placed in a psychiatric hospital where I started taking medication and my recovery began. Recovery has been a long process. I still feel paranoia sometimes that makes no logical sense though through taking my medication every day my mental health has improved very much.

    It is perhaps simple for a person who has always lived in their home to take air conditioning and heat for granted. As people age they eventually start paying their own bills including utilities and might not take heat and air conditioning for granted the way they could have as a child.

    Growing up my home was always warm enough in the winter and if we didn’t have air conditioning we opened the windows to cool the place. That was normal to me. I took the warmth of home when it was cold outside for granted.

    At 18 I was working full time and moved into my own place, and began to pay all my bills. Paying my bills was an accomplishment. The feeling of independence from my family felt good.

    I had stable housing from when I was born until I was 27 when I became bipolar.

    I became homeless because I was using illegal drugs, stopped taking my medication and was emotionally strung out about a relationship with a woman that did not go the way I wanted it to.

    I had very little money when I was homeless and stopped using illegal drugs. I was single and not very eligible giving the conditions I was living in. My behavior was irrational and ability to communicate deteriorated significantly.

    I am very fortunate that my medication is affordable. Taking my medication every day has helped my recovery to this day. I can hold down intellectual conversations. I understand what people say when speaking to me. I regained control of my behavior.

    I lease my apartment. I have a job working as a laborer. I pay all my bills on time. I have a car and a pet dog. I live in a safe neighborhood and thriving community.

    My life is far from perfect and I have many things to be grateful and thankful for. I receive S.S.D.I. and I can go back to work full time and get off S.S.D.I. one day. Receiving S.S.D.I. is a blessing. Very many Americans are to thank for Social Security. You’ve probably paid into Social Security in your taxes and so have I.

    It’s good to be an American and a U.S. Citizen living in United States. I disagree with much of the current Administration in the White House in D.C. decisions they’ve made and policies and that is my right to disagree with politics I don’t believe in. Remember to vote.

    Many Americans become homeless for reasons outside of their control. I am lucky and fortunate that I was given the opportunity to recover in a safe and stable environment. I have many blessings and am a lucky man. I am a success story. While living in low income housing and working as a laborer at 47 years old might not look successful to many people, I am living the life I dreamed of when I was living on the streets.

  • It’s a peaceful life in the North West. Early Fall and the days are warm and nights are cold. It’s not much of a city here with the country side just down the road. From here, and this is the biggest city for many miles. From far away and this feels like a town. All-nighter clubs and bars don’t exist. Most go home before dark. The community is quiet at night. The highway through town brings travelers from across the country and their haul. Timber, pears and seafood from the west coast.

    I worry about illegal hauls, drug runners from south of the border poisoning the community with addiction. It’s a fierce battle for peoples health and safety, freedom and livelihood. The addiction is real, young kids get hooked on a drug growing up making bad decisions and risking it all. Keep your eyes open and nose clean. Word to the wise.

    I grew up one day, made better decisions than when I was a young man. Still the scars are on peoples lips at work, scars from bad decisions made they’re paying for to this day. Work is labor, it’s not the office kind. Work is controlling traffic at a construction zone. Good for a young man not in college trying to get by. Good for an older man who didn’t graduate college and still has the strength to stand for eight hours on the side of a road for a days pay.

    No hi paying salary here, that’s for a career at a desk. Sometimes I wonder what will become of me when I no longer have the strength to work on my feet laboring day by day. I hope to live long and in peace, one day with caretakers who keep me housed and fed. Keep your chin up.

    It’s a different kind of look into the future living paycheck to paycheck. Used to laboring for pay will come to an end one day. It’s not a future where all needs are met and then some. Being thrifty goes a long way. Limited money speaks for itself. It is worth living. Making the most of every day.

  • Charlie Kirk might be a martyr to you, that’s your reality. It is pointless to compare Charlie Kirk to Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King and Charlie Kirk lived many generations apart. The issues Americans experience today have many differences than what Americans were going through when Martin Luther King was giving speeches and marching for justice. If they lived at the same time they would have been at odds.

    Children in the 1980’s including myself growing up in America at public school learned that Martin Luther King was a great man who led many people, black and white away from oppression. Martin Luther King led with words of love, care and respect for Americans. Martin Luther King was considered an enemy to a smaller number of Americans who were focused on racism and segregating white and black communities in United States. MLK was assassinated and the assassin was never caught. It is a mystery to this day who the assassin was.

    Charlie Kirk’s messages were controversial in that they were considered divisive to many Americans. While Charlie Kirk certainly had a following of Americans that included Americans who support the current POTUS Trump, many Americans were troubled and disturbed by the messages Charlie Kirk shared. The person who assassinated Charlie Kirk was brought to justice within several days. The assassin acted alone and had psychotic tendencies. The assassin was not left or right in the political spectrum. He was a deranged individual and danger to others.

    It’s early in the days after Charlie Kirk was assassinated. It’s early to tell what impression Charlie Kirk’s legacy will leave on Americans. Certainly, there will be Americans who praise what Charlie Kirk said as well as Americans who saw Charlie Kirk a hate filled racist bigot. The records of Charlie Kirk’s debates are online for you to peruse and come to your own decision about who he was based on what his words make you think or feel.

     Recently the Government hosted a large memorial ceremony for Charlie Kirk in a stadium in Arizona. While many Americans attended and tuned in, many Americans purposely avoided the memorial. Charlie Kirk was that divisive in the sense that many Americans felt threatened by the words he said, and many Americans felt encouraged. Charlie Kirk is deceased; his words are available to listen to in history records that won’t be forgotten any time soon.

    I never went to Charlie Kirk’s debates. I watched several minutes of his debates when I scrolled to his platform unknowingly. Charlie Kirk’s messages didn’t motivate me. Charlie Kirk’s words in debate irked me and made me feel uncomfortable. I stopped watching his debates after a few minutes. I don’t mourn Charlie Kirk. I do respect the right for the deceased to rest in peace and for his widow and children to live in peace.

  • This is a first

    I’ve never done this before. I want to thank United States President Donald Trump. I was raised in Democratic homes. And in Democratic neighborhoods. I was taught that us Democrats were correct in many more ways and Republicans were wrong in many ways. I’ve always voted Democrat and don’t anticipate that changing.

    A truth is. There are two sides to a coin and two sides to a story. In a boxing match there are two fighters. In a boxing arena each fighter needs their opponent to fight. In politics words are what are used to win a debate, a campaign, an election.

    In the worst case men and women turn to violence, and is something I condemn. I’ve never seen Trump speak live at a rally. That’s ok. Rhetoric is a word usually referred to with a negative tone. The truth is that both Democrats and Republicans use rhetoric in their speeches and my guy or gals rhetoric sounds a lot better to me than the opposition’s rhetoric.

    There have always been either a Democrat POTUS or a Republican POTUS in charge of the white house in Washington DC since I was born. And this is how it is today. While many Americans are weary of the two party system, it has worked long before I was born and through the years. It makes sense to me that there are two parties continually jockeying for power. Right, wrong. Left, right. True, false. Fact, fiction. Here, there. Then, now. These are opposites and while it is said that opposites attract they also repel.

    I am open to a different political party coming into power in DC and I don’t anticipate that happening anytime soon. Donald Trump has managed to keep war away from United States. Sometimes it takes a physically strong man to show strength and shake off threats from a foreign adversary. Was United States threatened by foreign adversaries before Donald Trump began his second term? The answer is yes and no. In general no and there are terrorists in the world that would harm Americans and American interests if they could.

    Is terrorism a threat to United States? Yes and no. In general no and it is very important for Americans to stay vigilant to protect our interests domestically and around the world from terrorists that would otherwise take advantage of us if we let our guard down.

    I think Trump is doing well in these regards. A Change of power of leadership in United States at the top happens every four to eight years. It has been this way since long before I was born, through the years and currently on schedule. Some percentage of Americans have expressed concern that Trump will remain president after 2028. I for one have not bought into that rhetoric. Were not there. It’s 2025. I don’t see that happening and I don’t see many US citizens concerned with the topic.

    America has changed a whole lot from when I was a young boy. The Cold War ended. The Cold War was something I learned that ended when I was a young boy. Donald Trump is older and lived through more of the Cold War until it ended. The Cold War was a long lasting and pervasive threat to Americans for many years. I grew up at the tail end of the Cold War and I’m sure Baby Boomers have their own take as to what the Cold War meant to them.

    From what I’ve learned there were no casualties in the Cold War. No bombs dropped, no missiles launched, and no fighter jets deployed. From what I’ve learned the Cold War was a build up of tension and verbal hostility between U.S.A. and Russia what was known as U.S.S.R. at the time and a build up of weapons of war. Eventually the tension dissipated, and verbal hostility cooled and the stockpiles of weapons of war were reduced. It was a victory for U.S.A. and for U.S.S.R. both. A win win.

    United States is at peace on our soil. We are protected by our military domestically and the brave men and women of the US military are stationed around the world protecting our interests abroad. It is a blessing US is at peace on our soil and that’s not to say there is not crime on our streets. Crime is a problem in every city in the US and in smaller communities to some extent. Counteracting crime is not my work and is not my call.

    The conservative approach is different than the liberal approach not just when it comes to crime but also economics. There are many topics I disagree with Donald Trump about. I can leave it at that.

    I’m better off not defining liberals and conservatives something younger generations will surely do as they grow and choose who to stand up and vote for and sink their teeth into details of specific causes they believe in and build their opinions including everything worth fighting for, hopefully in a civilly and in debate.

    God bless America

  • Timing

    Have you ever heard, “timing is everything” I’ve heard this statement time and time again from a young age growing up. In today’s world so much happens in 24 hours. On news reports that are aired to the public, the public receives the report instantly in the case of live news. Similarly making a live feed on TikTok or Facebook have a similar effect. This is the world humanity have adopted and growing into. Time’s have changed. Growing up cell phones did not exist. When there was news to share it was face to face in person. Time to tell a story and receive the story was at a human pace. Cellphones changed the way we communicate. To call someone we used to have to be home to place a call or at a payphone at a fixed location. Or at work. With cellphones the instant we want to share a story we can dial the number and press send from almost anywhere including in flight. And have live video chat instantly with the person answering on their cellphone. I am lucky. I’ve seen both. When a live news report on television was not as common as prerecorded news reports. When I had to be at home or at work to place a call. And those calls did not include live video. They were not in flight.

    This was normal for me and everyone else. When cellphones were made available on the market people gradually bought them and service for them. It took years and years and years before most people owned a cellphone.

    This is not the case today. Younger generations are growing up going to elementary school with their cellphones. It’s considered more safe to have a cellphone for many reasons.

    News travels as fast as the click of a send button. Dizzying is a way to describe how fast technology has developed. Dizzying for older generations. Younger generations are growing into the ability to communicate instantly. That is normal these days.

    It’s so tempting to place an instant call to a person you know to tell them about a news report you just watched. While that is your choice remember the phrase “timing is everything” There are opportune moments to tell someone a story and there are inopportune moments to share a story. Humans are sensitive. Humans are more sensitive than any technology. Humans are more receptive than any technology.

    It might make sense to call a family member to tell them about something that happened instead of waiting until your with them in person and able to tell them face to face. Some things can wait to be said when you’re in person, other things are important to say on a phone call right away.

    I live alone. My family live around United States and in foreign countries. Opportunities I have to speak to my family in person and face to face are limited in the many miles we live apart from each other. I know not to call my parents in the middle of the night waking them up. Similarly when I was living with my family I knew not to wake them up in the middle of the night to talk. Respecting others has to do with timing. Knowing when a good time to call family or a friend is important. Living many miles and states and borders away from my family make timing of my calls to family very important. Even during the day when I’m awake in Pacific time zone and family have already been awake for four hours on Eastern time zone we have to be sensitive and careful to make calls to each other when it’s sensible.

    If you think back to before the invention of the phone, people communicated mostly in person. Those days are before my time. We had one phone at home growing up. One person at a time could talk to someone else on it locally and long distance. Those days are our shared human history. Those stories are precious and remind us of when things went at a slower pace. Sharing news was done on horse back. That was the fastest method to get a message to someone else.

    Communicating is human nature. Humans are social beings. Communication is learned and speaking is powerful. Speaking to one-another and to groups is how society gets along and grows and learns from each other.

    I might not like or agree with a news report I watch during the day and how I respond and communicate about a story is important.

    The words I speak and who I choose to speak to has an effect.

    Many lessons can be learned from history, distant and recent. Saying the first words that come to mind are important living in society. Sometimes taking time to think about the words we use to share a story is sensible. Both are important and both are human nature.

  • Free

    At a young age I was taught “freedom isn’t free”. I didn’t understand the meaning at first and over time as I grew older I gradually began to learn meanings of the sentiment. It’s a truth I understand much clearer today. Freedom isn’t free refers to many things. One in particular is freedom of speech. As a human I have the freedom to speak when and where and to who I want to. I have the freedom to say what I want to, and there are consequences.

    Like in science, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Speech follows similar responses. Speaking with someone I agree with more often returns a favorable response. Speaking with someone I disagree with might not return a favorable response depending on the words that are the topic of conversation.

    Young people learn this early on. Friends group together and entertain themselves and one group of friends often share many of the same words and lingo in their communications. Where a different group of friends have their own unique lingo and expressions. These two groups of friends are important to each other.

    While a person in one group of friends might not often speak to people in the other group of friends in United States the English language is a common bridge people use to communicate. While English is the most widely spoken language in United States it is far from the only language people speak in this country.

    Growing up in United States I was encouraged to learn a second language. The options in my middle school were French and German and Spanish. I learned some words in each of these languages. Later I chose Spanish as my second go to language beyond the English language. I was brought up speaking English. English is my first language. I speak some Spanish. I value my ability to speak Spanish and enjoy learning Spanish words. My ability to read and write Spanish is limited.

    I believe when a person is able to communicate in a second language they strengthen their relation to other people from different cultures. It’s important to me to have good relations with other cultures. Here in Medford Oregon most people speak English. Many other languages are spoken in my community and are fewer and further between. English sounds “normal” to me.

    When I lived in Los Angeles I was surrounded by people speaking many different languages. It took getting used to. Los Angeles is one of the largest cities on Earth with one of the largest amount of people on Earth. Getting used to living in the megalopolis of Los Angeles was difficult. There are many reasons getting used to Los Angeles was difficult for me. It was a challenge and the challenge it was to me I am grateful for.

    Challenges are important. It might be interpreted as a challenge to speak to someone in a different group of friends because they might sound different than what you’re used to. They might dress different than what your used to. Their lingo are likely to be different than what your used to. These differences while at first may feel like a challenge to start up a conversation, the challenge is worth it.

    Unfortunately when I was young I got into trouble in and out of school. I made bad decisions and suffered the consequences. The group of people I surrounded myself with were similar to a gang. We liked each other and we were sometimes suspicious and skeptical of people who were outside of our group. We caused problems individually and as a group. We grew older causing more problems to ourselves and to others. We compromised our freedoms collectively and individually and compromised freedoms of people we wronged.

    I moved far away, over 1,000 miles away from the “community” I was raised in. I’m no longer under the influence of negative and dangerous people. I’m fortunate that I was able to move far away from those influences and start fresh in this community. There are many people in this community. People I care about and people I know and respect. Life experiences have taught me to be around people who have my best interest in mind. People who respect themselves and others. These are the people I consider my inner circle. People looking to make the world a better place right here in this community.

    Moving far away from where I was raised was not easy. It was worth it. Moving to a community that was new to me was not easy. It was worth it. Not everyone can or have reason to or should move from where they are raised. Many people learn early on to respect themselves and others and look out for one another.

    The most successful people in a community often are raised in the community the live and grow up in to adulthood and as an elder. This is an example of people with no reason to move from where they were raised. This is the epitome of stability and structure.

    On the other hand many people choose to move from where they were raised and for many reasons. A work opportunity is a reason why a person might move to a new community, possibly very far from where they were raised. Economic factors often play a part in these decisions.

    People who learn early on to respect themselves and others are more prepared to make the most with the community they live in. and if they move to a community new to them are best equipped to thrive in it. The same goes for moving domestically and moving internationally. I don’t have experience moving internationally.

    I have experience traveling on vacation internationally and learned from my travels, life outside United States while similar in many ways is very different than living in United States.

    A common saying goes, to learn is to travel. Depending on where you travel you might learn things you want to and things you didn’t want to learn. Both are true and depending on the reason for your travel will make a difference in what there is to learn about.

    Things people consider free are different in different cultures. What Americans living in United States consider free vary widely to what citizens of a foreign country consider free in their country.

    Freedom is very important. Freedom to live in peace and in a stable economy are not free.

  • Anger

    I have a lot of anger regarding my father. It’s a mixed relationship at best. I am angry about how he treated me when I was growing up and how he was absent and unavailable to talk to for so much of my youth. Sometimes I wake up late at night angry at him. It’s a mixed relationship because on the surface everything is appropriate. We are polite to each other and cordial. Deep down inside I have moments when my anger about him is all I can think about, it lasts for several minutes and then dissipates.

    I’m 47 and live across the country far away from him. This is good. It’s difficult to make progress with family when there is a long distance separating us. The last time I saw him was last summer. I traveled to visit him and my stepmom. They invited me to their home and as a guest in their guest room while I was in the area. The visit was polite and cordial. We didn’t talk about anything that would have angered us.

    My father becomes very defensive when his actions are questioned by me. A good thing about the physical distance between us is he’s not here.

    The older a person becomes the more set they become in their ways. It’s not a terrible relation. I don’t wish harm against him. I wish he would apologize to me about his negligence when I was a young boy.

    My stepsister seems to have a much better relation with him. She pointed out to me that our grandpa died when my father was around 18. My grandfather worked very hard supporting his family. According to my father, my grandpa seemed to spend much of his time working.

    I know my father admired my grandpa for his work ethic. My father has a large appetite for work. He has worked most days for as long as I’ve known him. Father is on the verge of retiring.

    I wish I made better choices in my youth. I wish I made better choices in my twenties and in my thirties. I wish my father would have respected my mother throughout their divorce and after. I wish my father would have kept his negative opinions and words about my mother out of his mouth when speaking to me. I wish he could have shown respect and been dignified to her. I wish he could have treated her with respect and dignity while I was a young boy and through my teenage years.

    I wish he did not introduce me to pornography magazines and on pornography on his computer. I wish he did not tell me about fucking a raise between his secretaries legs when she asked for a raise in salary. I wish I didn’t walk in on him having sex with the woman he hired as a live in nanny to look after me. I wish he didn’t tell me about when he had sex with a prostitute at a brothel not very far from our home. I wish he never pushed me to the ground and would not have kicked me when I was down.

    I wish he new better how to raise a young boy. I wish when I was a young boy and chose to move out of my mothers home to live with my father he could have made more time to play ball.