I really, really love all of your writings and musings and I love the comments too.
I really appreciate Anne's comments.
I have had a rather tumultuous past, as she did, and I am proud of the choices I made to rectify things.
Life is full of ongoing challenges, as we ALL know.
When my sweetheart of 36 years died 20 months ago, I decided that my gratitude for life would bring me the resilience that would bring me more peace and happiness.
Of course serving others is part of this gratitude.
Well, I just got remarried on January 13th and am SO full of gratitude for another man who is helping me become a better person. [and visa versa]
We are both blessed to have family members on both sides who are joyous for us.
So, I now have 4 daughters and another son, along with my 6 sons.
In fact, I just drove one of his daughters to the airport as she heads to Jordan.
She runs an international organization and I am truly blessed to have found another beautiful soul to love and to love me.
Maybe you can tell that my heart is very full today with gratitude to my Heavenly Father.
Very interesting. I was surprised that you brought up Adam Carolla. I’ve listened to him off and on for awhile, and such a bright man. Very impressive for how much he accomplished, especially knowing his childhood, and his lack of interest in school.
This is one of those pieces that is making me think about life, and how we best use it, what it means for each of us, etc. I recently listened to an interview with Mike Rowe, the guy who had that TV program, “Dirty Jobs.” He’s one of the people you talk about, and he’s working hard to help other people find their way, too. I admire the people who make it, and then go on to help others do the same.
I can’t say that all of them have a “calling,” but these are people who have come to the conclusion that there are jobs out there that are going to pay a lot more than the ones they have been dreaming of. One woman wanted to be a doctor. In fact, she wanted to be a surgeon. But when she looked at what it would cost her to get there, she enrolled in a scholarship program though Mr. Rowe’s foundation, and became a welder. She’s so good at it that she’s making $160,000. He talks about the plumbers, electricians, and other jobs that pay exceptionally well, and how many people go on to create their own businesses. In turn, creating more jobs for others.
I would like to think that everyone could do this, but there are often other things that get in the way, and sometimes it’s energy. Some people have a lot of energy, and a lot of desire, but many don’t, and we need those people, too. But, I think what you’re trying to do is talk to the people who think that a particular job is going to be their salvation.
My husband got his MBA when that was an extremely popular field of education. He worked hard, and he was good at his jobs, which mostly had to do with auditing. I think there were plenty of times when he wished he’d gone into something else, but thank goodness, jobs were plentiful, and he was in high demand. We moved around a lot because he was constantly getting calls from head hunters with good paying job offers. In many ways, life was an adventure for both of us.
He was gone a lot, so I was on my own, but it didn’t bother me because I grew up with a dad who traveled, and a very independent mom. He traveled overseas, to Italy, and South Africa. He had several jobs in South America. We were and are, a good team.
We’ve been fortunate, too. He made good money, and we got a decent inheritance from an uncle and my parents. I always had faith in my husband, and I knew life would be good with him, but it has been even better than I ever anticipated. Some of it was luck, but a lot of it was hard work. I can’t say that it was a calling, but it was about seeing opportunity, and taking some chances.
I guess that isn’t very helpful, but it’s another angle on things. Still, it really is wonderful to read about people who have persevered, and found something they loved, were successful at, AND made money doing it!
Yes, I love learning about people who play to the hilt the hand they are dealt in life. We all have a playbill of our creation to some extent. How do we perceive our world? How do we engage our world? How we do interpret setbacks in our universe? One of my favorite quotes comes from Rev. Phillip Brooks -- "Pray not for an easy life. Pray for powers equal to your tasks." How different would life be if we encouraged people to live within sight of those virtues? I can never get enough of said stories -- the son of an indolent mill hand who becomes U.S. Senator and a multimillionaire, the young son who loses a father and fathers a country, the young lad who loses his mother and regains the Union during a mighty Civil War, the lonely son of a scandalous father who becomes the wealthiest man in U.S. history, the wayward son of a Detroit plasterer who founds Motown.
These are the stories I read about in grade school. These were the lives worthy of remembrance. Thanks for your comment. I love hearing about your life and how much we all have in common.
I’ll try to make this short. I’ve been married 3 times, and my third marriage is going into its 37th year. I’m extremely blessed, and grateful for my wonderful husband!
I married the first time in my early 20s. It was a bad marriage from the start, with a lot of psychological abuse. Then I married again in my mid 20s. I had toughened up to mean words, but I wasn’t prepared for the physical abuse. I was ashamed and embarrassed a lot of the time.
But, neither of those marriages lasted all that long, thank goodness. With help from my mom (my parents lived in Wisconsin and I was in Ohio), I got a car, and then I drove to Columbus to find a job.
I found something almost immediately because I had those great “secretarial skills” my parents had encouraged me to develop. I was staying with a very kind young woman, after getting away from my husband, so I was driving an hour each way for my job for a short time. But, I needed to find a place to live, so I spent a weekend looking, and I found a nice apartment that I could afford
I’ll be honest, I was lonely and scared. I’d never really been on my own before, and I didn’t know anyone. Part of me wanted to go home, to Wisconsin and my parents. However, I also didn’t want to go back because I wanted more. I cried and I prayed, and one evening it suddenly came to me that I would give it one year, and if I still wasn’t happy I’d go home.
I don’t know why, but that made all the difference. I made a good friend at my job. She was from Chicago, and her fiancé was going to school, so she didn’t know anyone either. She helped me out with little things, and then she would invite me to dinner, and we’d go on “adventures,” weekends, when her fiancé was studying. We are still friends.
Then I met my husband to be. He was a consultant in the large accounting firm where I was working. I did a little work for him (I worked for a number of people in the firm), and he was nice. He talked to me, and he listened. Then he started driving me home, but first he would drive around the neighborhood where I lived to show me all the places his friends lived when he was growing up. It turned out that his childhood home was just a few blocks from my apartment. He took me out to wonderful restaurants, and he was so kind and thoughtful. He still is.
I’m proud of myself. I know it’s not as big and ambitious as those people who recognized their calling, but I knew I could do better. I remember thinking that if I never found the “right one,” and remained single, then I’d rather it was that than living like I had before.
I’ve found a lot of good things in my life, and I know it’s because I look for them, and I recognize them. I still make mistakes, but I still make some wonderful choices.
I love this story because, through it all, "one evening it suddenly came to me that I would give it one year..." And look what happened! A calling is a big, fancy word for listening to the flash of insight about one's life. Those insights oftentimes make all the difference. These are good life lessons to share with young people, people in their 20s and 30s. Wise elders serve a purpose. Those who are further along the road of life can reassure others that hard and impossible times can be navigated.
I really, really love all of your writings and musings and I love the comments too.
I really appreciate Anne's comments.
I have had a rather tumultuous past, as she did, and I am proud of the choices I made to rectify things.
Life is full of ongoing challenges, as we ALL know.
When my sweetheart of 36 years died 20 months ago, I decided that my gratitude for life would bring me the resilience that would bring me more peace and happiness.
Of course serving others is part of this gratitude.
Well, I just got remarried on January 13th and am SO full of gratitude for another man who is helping me become a better person. [and visa versa]
We are both blessed to have family members on both sides who are joyous for us.
So, I now have 4 daughters and another son, along with my 6 sons.
In fact, I just drove one of his daughters to the airport as she heads to Jordan.
She runs an international organization and I am truly blessed to have found another beautiful soul to love and to love me.
Maybe you can tell that my heart is very full today with gratitude to my Heavenly Father.
Your blessings are in abundance! Keep living in joy and peace at the center.
Very interesting. I was surprised that you brought up Adam Carolla. I’ve listened to him off and on for awhile, and such a bright man. Very impressive for how much he accomplished, especially knowing his childhood, and his lack of interest in school.
This is one of those pieces that is making me think about life, and how we best use it, what it means for each of us, etc. I recently listened to an interview with Mike Rowe, the guy who had that TV program, “Dirty Jobs.” He’s one of the people you talk about, and he’s working hard to help other people find their way, too. I admire the people who make it, and then go on to help others do the same.
I can’t say that all of them have a “calling,” but these are people who have come to the conclusion that there are jobs out there that are going to pay a lot more than the ones they have been dreaming of. One woman wanted to be a doctor. In fact, she wanted to be a surgeon. But when she looked at what it would cost her to get there, she enrolled in a scholarship program though Mr. Rowe’s foundation, and became a welder. She’s so good at it that she’s making $160,000. He talks about the plumbers, electricians, and other jobs that pay exceptionally well, and how many people go on to create their own businesses. In turn, creating more jobs for others.
I would like to think that everyone could do this, but there are often other things that get in the way, and sometimes it’s energy. Some people have a lot of energy, and a lot of desire, but many don’t, and we need those people, too. But, I think what you’re trying to do is talk to the people who think that a particular job is going to be their salvation.
My husband got his MBA when that was an extremely popular field of education. He worked hard, and he was good at his jobs, which mostly had to do with auditing. I think there were plenty of times when he wished he’d gone into something else, but thank goodness, jobs were plentiful, and he was in high demand. We moved around a lot because he was constantly getting calls from head hunters with good paying job offers. In many ways, life was an adventure for both of us.
He was gone a lot, so I was on my own, but it didn’t bother me because I grew up with a dad who traveled, and a very independent mom. He traveled overseas, to Italy, and South Africa. He had several jobs in South America. We were and are, a good team.
We’ve been fortunate, too. He made good money, and we got a decent inheritance from an uncle and my parents. I always had faith in my husband, and I knew life would be good with him, but it has been even better than I ever anticipated. Some of it was luck, but a lot of it was hard work. I can’t say that it was a calling, but it was about seeing opportunity, and taking some chances.
I guess that isn’t very helpful, but it’s another angle on things. Still, it really is wonderful to read about people who have persevered, and found something they loved, were successful at, AND made money doing it!
Yes, I love learning about people who play to the hilt the hand they are dealt in life. We all have a playbill of our creation to some extent. How do we perceive our world? How do we engage our world? How we do interpret setbacks in our universe? One of my favorite quotes comes from Rev. Phillip Brooks -- "Pray not for an easy life. Pray for powers equal to your tasks." How different would life be if we encouraged people to live within sight of those virtues? I can never get enough of said stories -- the son of an indolent mill hand who becomes U.S. Senator and a multimillionaire, the young son who loses a father and fathers a country, the young lad who loses his mother and regains the Union during a mighty Civil War, the lonely son of a scandalous father who becomes the wealthiest man in U.S. history, the wayward son of a Detroit plasterer who founds Motown.
These are the stories I read about in grade school. These were the lives worthy of remembrance. Thanks for your comment. I love hearing about your life and how much we all have in common.
I’ll try to make this short. I’ve been married 3 times, and my third marriage is going into its 37th year. I’m extremely blessed, and grateful for my wonderful husband!
I married the first time in my early 20s. It was a bad marriage from the start, with a lot of psychological abuse. Then I married again in my mid 20s. I had toughened up to mean words, but I wasn’t prepared for the physical abuse. I was ashamed and embarrassed a lot of the time.
But, neither of those marriages lasted all that long, thank goodness. With help from my mom (my parents lived in Wisconsin and I was in Ohio), I got a car, and then I drove to Columbus to find a job.
I found something almost immediately because I had those great “secretarial skills” my parents had encouraged me to develop. I was staying with a very kind young woman, after getting away from my husband, so I was driving an hour each way for my job for a short time. But, I needed to find a place to live, so I spent a weekend looking, and I found a nice apartment that I could afford
I’ll be honest, I was lonely and scared. I’d never really been on my own before, and I didn’t know anyone. Part of me wanted to go home, to Wisconsin and my parents. However, I also didn’t want to go back because I wanted more. I cried and I prayed, and one evening it suddenly came to me that I would give it one year, and if I still wasn’t happy I’d go home.
I don’t know why, but that made all the difference. I made a good friend at my job. She was from Chicago, and her fiancé was going to school, so she didn’t know anyone either. She helped me out with little things, and then she would invite me to dinner, and we’d go on “adventures,” weekends, when her fiancé was studying. We are still friends.
Then I met my husband to be. He was a consultant in the large accounting firm where I was working. I did a little work for him (I worked for a number of people in the firm), and he was nice. He talked to me, and he listened. Then he started driving me home, but first he would drive around the neighborhood where I lived to show me all the places his friends lived when he was growing up. It turned out that his childhood home was just a few blocks from my apartment. He took me out to wonderful restaurants, and he was so kind and thoughtful. He still is.
I’m proud of myself. I know it’s not as big and ambitious as those people who recognized their calling, but I knew I could do better. I remember thinking that if I never found the “right one,” and remained single, then I’d rather it was that than living like I had before.
I’ve found a lot of good things in my life, and I know it’s because I look for them, and I recognize them. I still make mistakes, but I still make some wonderful choices.
I love this story because, through it all, "one evening it suddenly came to me that I would give it one year..." And look what happened! A calling is a big, fancy word for listening to the flash of insight about one's life. Those insights oftentimes make all the difference. These are good life lessons to share with young people, people in their 20s and 30s. Wise elders serve a purpose. Those who are further along the road of life can reassure others that hard and impossible times can be navigated.
Resilience -- pass it on.
Thank you, that means a lot to me. 😍