I wish I could have known the future when I was a teen but I am sure I could not have understood it if I had been shown. The world changed a lot. I thought about a funny quotations I read once upon a time. Yogi Berra had said, "the future ain't what it used to be." It isn't . Nor will it ever be. When I graduated high school, the space program was in full swing. We had landed on the moon and returned several times. the Viet Nam war had ended. There had been an oil embargo that had driven the price of gas high and everyone spoke of ending our dependence on foreign oil. Pollution control devices had been added to cars. No one was openly gay. There were only 10 or 12 stations on cable television. There were no cell phones. No one stayed in touch with a phone stuck to their head all the time. In pharmacy there were fewer than 1/2 the drugs that are available now. We didn't know how Aspirin worked!
I was headed out into life with a few notions of what I wanted in my own future. I wanted someone to love who would love me back. I wanted to have the same kind of comforts my parents had. You know, car, home, tv, stuff... I wanted children. Not just one but two. Nikki got what I always wished for, a little sister. To be honest, I didn't see any of it happening. Who would want to marry someone like me? I remember sitting on the porch with Caleb (that black and white dog...remember) and telling him I guess I'd just be alone. Then I met your Mother. She seemed to want the same things from life as me. To be honest I thought I might better go ahead and ask her to marry me because I didn't think I was going to get a better chance. Your Mom was bold and flirtacious. I was quiet and timid. Now I am sitting here looking back at where we have come to. Some of it has turned out better than I expected. Some of it hasn't. There have been unexpected joys and sorrows. My plan was to work and earn our living, create a comfortable place, and try to pay for my own raising. It didn't seem that complex. Perhaps I should have read more how-to books or sought more advice. In any event, it is what it was. So "Now" is my future. What will be your future. You will have one without a doubt.......
I was headed out into life with a few notions of what I wanted in my own future. I wanted someone to love who would love me back. I wanted to have the same kind of comforts my parents had. You know, car, home, tv, stuff... I wanted children. Not just one but two. Nikki got what I always wished for, a little sister. To be honest, I didn't see any of it happening. Who would want to marry someone like me? I remember sitting on the porch with Caleb (that black and white dog...remember) and telling him I guess I'd just be alone. Then I met your Mother. She seemed to want the same things from life as me. To be honest I thought I might better go ahead and ask her to marry me because I didn't think I was going to get a better chance. Your Mom was bold and flirtacious. I was quiet and timid. Now I am sitting here looking back at where we have come to. Some of it has turned out better than I expected. Some of it hasn't. There have been unexpected joys and sorrows. My plan was to work and earn our living, create a comfortable place, and try to pay for my own raising. It didn't seem that complex. Perhaps I should have read more how-to books or sought more advice. In any event, it is what it was. So "Now" is my future. What will be your future. You will have one without a doubt.......